Rise
by Kuraki-chan
Summary: Nick was her best friend. After the murder of his wife and infant he too vanishes and causes Zarya to spiral horribly. Everything she once loved so dearly had just been ripped from her. Just as she loses hope, the Winchesters show up at her door. She's got to find the fight that she was born with if she wants to make it and find the truth. [Takes place before Devil in Me; s5 on]
1. Here Comes the Countdown

**A/N:** I know, I know, I'm awful. But at least it's the first half of _Devil in Me_! (dodges various items being thrown at me, I'm sure)

I already have a good chunk of this written from a while ago that I'm just tweaking details to. Originally it wasn't supposed to be a companion to _Monster_. It was just some babble I was doing when I was forcing myself out of writer's block. So as _Devil in Me_ and _Monster_ progress (because I am writing those at the same time too!) I can post this once and a while for like, flashbacks to hold y'all off LOL

Yeah, no, I'm really writing technically three stories all around one another at the same time. And you wonder why it's difficult for me to update? LOL  
Also, I'm getting married the 28th and planning that has been hell in itself.

I'm about halfway through with a new chapter of _Monster_ , then I plan to finish both that and _Devil in Me_ to the season finales before a hiatus. In that hiatus I'll be planning everything for seasons 5 and 10 accordingly and I've been thinking about [thinking about!] revisiting _Her Name is Alice_ since no one wants to leave me alone about that LOL

In the meantime, we'll start the backstory of Zarya with Lucifer and the Winchesters!

Let's take it back to season 5~

xoxo  
KurakiChan

* * *

01: Here Comes the Countdown.

She wished she could say she had lost count of the days since it all began, but that was a farfetched dream. The day Nick didn't pick her up from work she knew something had happened. He was never more than ten minutes late. After so long of each of them doing it it became a joke to just always be ten minutes late. Even her coworkers, who barely gave a damn about her existence, knew something was wrong when she was still waiting for an extra forty minutes before taking off running. She and Nick didn't live in the best parts of town most of their lives. He always walked her home at night. Always.

When she didn't find him at home, sulking and drinking in the dark and cold, she called the police. He would never just leave. But he was a grown adult. So it had to be 48+ hours missing before even a report could be filed not that anyone would take it seriously. But she knew the truth. She knew Nick wouldn't just vanish. Not after all they'd been through. The following morning that she awoke after her sob-induced slumber she noticed the first purple bruise on the underside of her upper arm. She thought she must have passed out in an uncomfortable position.

The second day, the day she'd go back down to the station to at least file a missing person's report, she had to wear a long sleeve to hide the two larger bruises she had found on each of her upper arms. They filled out the report and an officer gave her a stack of papers that she could put up around town to send her on her way. By time she returned home to shower after stapling and taping every paper around Pike Creek, she found bruises starting on her legs. Furious, she redressed and ran to the little pharmacy around the block for some iron supplements. She took two and a hot shower before passing back out on her bed.

Another week passed and she had to drag herself to work each day as she felt worse. She barely ate and formed dark circles beneath her blue-green eyes despite all the sleep she had been getting. It started getting harder to breathe during her walks to and from work, forcing her to get an inhaler. After two weeks without Nick she tried to shower and had to sit before she could even wash her hair because she was so lightheaded. Her doctor only told her it was depression because of Nick's disappearance. She suggested counseling, which didn't go over too well.

She would call every other day for another week to the station to see if there were any leads. When she finally gathered the strength to walk there one afternoon she overheard the officers laughing about her. She cried the whole walk back to her home. She'd always look out her window to the house next door that she knew was currently empty. She looked at a purple bruise on her arm and poked at it, feeling no pain. Her hair had become as lifeless as her eyes. The diner she worked at gave her a few more personal days off. She felt desperate and forced herself to stare at her laptop.

Maybe if she wasn't sick it was a ghost, or a demon? She tried contacting a few churches but they wouldn't even take her seriously. She was starting to feel crazy and word got around town. It sure did look odd: a man's wife and infant killed in a home invasion leaving the father and godmother who were long time friends; man goes missing and godmother loses what marbles she had left. All she had left where the tears and sobs that eased her to sleep by consuming what little energy she had.

Spring had broken when someone was knocking on her door. It took all she had to drag herself from her bedroom to the front door on another miserable Monday. It had been so long she didn't know or care what she looked like anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.

Two men dressed in suits looked at one another and back to the sickly looking young woman before them. "Zarya Deighton?" The hazel eyed one asked softly. They each pulled out FBI badges to show her. "We're here about your friend who's been missing some time now - Nicholas Rowell?"

She licked her dry, cracked lips, hand clutching the door tightly. A skeptical hope started to lighten her eyes. "Nick?" She spoke hoarsely. She cleared her throat and rubbed her face, stepping aside to let them both in. "What's the FBI want with him if the PCPD laughs at it?"

"We take on special cases," the green eyed agent replied, looking around her messy living room. "You seem pretty beat up about his disappearance."

"He's all I've got," Zarya wrapped her arms around herself. "What exactly can I help you with agents-?"

"Sam," the taller one smiled. "Sam and Dean. We're uh...we're not terribly formal when we question families." He caught sight of a bruise on her wrist as her sleeve moved a hair. "Have you been harmed recently, Zarya…?"

She immediately looked down and noticed the purple mark exposed just enough on her arm. She sighed and tugged off the hoodie she wore, leaving herself in a grey camisole and baring all the bruising she's acquired since Nick's disappearance. "It's all over me. But it doesn't hurt and I haven't had a reason for them. My doctor says everything is perfectly normal and healthy, that I'm just depressed. I tried iron pills for no reason because my blood test came back normal, I've barely eaten, I'm always tired no matter how much I sleep; I feel like Nick took a part of me when he vanished…"

"All that started as soon as Nick disappeared?" Dean questioned. "How did you know he was gone?"

"I had gotten sick after my lunch break and it started to concern me like a bad omen because I don't usually throw up. But it was Sloppy Joe Special that Thursday so I chalked it up to the food. Then Nick was supposed to pick me up from work at the diner a few blocks away like always. He doesn't like when I walk around town alone." She smiled sadly at the thought. "When I was still standing there for an hour even my coworkers knew something was wrong. I...I ran back myself and straight to his house right next door. When I changed out of my uniform barely an hour after that I noticed the first bruise. It's gotten worse day by day." The men exchanged another wary look with one another. "I've looked into everything...anemia, leukemia, I've even jumped to demonic possession and hauntings but nothing fits. I'm at the end of my rope…" She fell down onto the couch with her face in her hands.

"What if," Sam started, prompting her to look up at him, "we told you that there is a reason this is happening?"

"Is it the bastard that killed Sarah?" She choked out. "They never found him…"

"No," Dean told her. "Something supernatural. You see, Nick-"

Sam quickly intervened. "Nick will be found, we assure you. We're not really FBI agents, Zarya. We're hunters and we believe something supernatural has happened to you and Nick. We're looking into what exactly but we're here." He offered her a smile. "Listen, if anything else happens or comes up," he handed her a card with their phone numbers on it, "just give one of us a call."

She nodded absentmindedly and let the two out, locking the door behind them. With a sigh she tossed the card down on her coffee table and put her hoodie back on. She dragged herself to the kitchen and poured a cup of old, cold coffee, putting it in the microwave. She rubbed her tired eyes, wishing she could rub away the dark purple circles. Once the microwave sounded that her timer was up, Zarya reached for the door handle. Before her fingers could brush the handle an immense pain shot through her skull. She clutched her head with both hands, dropping to her knees from the pain.

She forced her eyes open, desperately trying to see through the dark blur. One hand shot out and slapped against the counter, grabbing tightly. She tried her best to stand and nearly made it before falling back against the cabinets and sliding down until she was on the floor. For a few minutes that felt like hours she laid curled on the cold linoleum in searing pain before the darkness took her.

When Zarya finally awoke on her kitchen floor it was nighttime, her coffee long since forgotten and cold again in the microwave. She sat up on the floor and rubbed her temples, trying to think of some kind of explanation. With a shake of her head she rubbed her eyes and forced herself to her feet. Maybe a shower would help. She was just laying on the kitchen floor for who knew how long.

She begrudgingly peeled off the clothes she had worn for the last three days straight at least, tossing them onto the bathroom floor haphazardly. Walking by the mirror, something caught the ravenette's attention. She turned on the water for the shower to let it warm up and looked at the full length mirror on the closet door; the bruising had gone down. Her eyes didn't look like she hadn't slept in her entire 26 years. She blinked in surprise; no way her kitchen floor nap did that. She shook her head and decided she'd call her doctor in the morning. Again. Getting in the shower, Zarya let the hot water wash over her.

She decided to take her time and actually attempt to relax. She let the conditioner set in her hair for ten minutes and used a sugar scrub she had gotten last Christmas but never even opened. She used her face scrub that hadn't been touched since she got ready for work the day Nick went missing. Her skin started to red with the hot water but she didn't care. By time she shut the water off, however, she realized just how much more red skin there was than purple bruises. She almost didn't want to wrap herself in the towel. Maybe she had just been overreacting and it really was depression consuming her. Maybe knowing she wasn't insane and someone was actually looking for Nick eased her troubles even a pinch. Even if those two men were entirely bullshitting her, it gave her the hope she needed to try again herself.

She used a second towel to dry off her hair. Once it was only damp she tightened her towel around her body and ventured towards her room to get dressed. In the hall she stopped at the thermostat and kicked on the heater. Was it always that cold in her house and she hadn't noticed because she was always in some form of sweatpants and a hoodie? Her bare feet continued down the hall until she came to her door, slightly ajar. Pushing it open she nearly fell to her knees when she was staring at the blue eyes she had come to miss so terribly.

She gripped the closure of her towel tightly, knees starting to buckle beneath her. "N-Nick? Tell me I'm not hallucinating…"

He smiled and she was too blinded to see the devilishness behind it, holding his arms out. "You're not hallucinating, Rya."

She bit back the tears as she ran over, tackling him in a tight hug. It was like he was never gone. She felt his arms snake around her waist and let the tears flow down to her smile. Nick put his chin on her shoulder and one hand tracing circles calmingly on the bare skin of her upper back. Out of her view he smirked.


	2. What Awful Things Happened in the Dark?

**A/N:** So I updated _Monster_ and that put it right alongside what I already had for _Devil in Me_ so I guess I'll post this one! LOL

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

02: What Awful Things Happened in the Dark?

"So get this," Sam started, staring at his laptop; Dean came looking over his shoulder while eating a donut. "Zarya and Nick have been friends since basically birth. Apparently the Deightons are some old family friends or something. They'd always been good kids in school - model students, Nick's dad passed, Zarya started getting bullied in high school and guess who was her knight in shining armor?"

Dean rolled his eyes and replied with a mouthful of donut. "Nick."

"Yup. But they were never an item. He even ended up marrying a woman named Sarah and Zarya was the Maid of Honor at the wedding."

"Bitter?"

"Nope, so okay with everything she was made God mother of their daughter. She'd been working at the same diner the last five years and almost a year ago Nick was walking her home from a shift when Sarah and their baby were murdered in a home invasion. They were both equally heartbroken and depressed; Nick started to drink and Zarya started seeing a therapist. We pop Lucifer from the cage, Nick goes missing, and Zarya spirals."

Dean finished off the donut and wiped some frosting from his lip. "I couldn't find anything on her bruising and whatnot, not as bad as she had it. Some of it starts off as depression, dips into possessions and hauntings gone bad, but nothing so bad it looks like it's literally sucking the life out of her." There was a flutter of wings and he turned around with a smile. "About time, Cas."

The angel's eyes had already landed on Zarya's image on the laptop. Something in her greener than blue eyes felt familiar. "What is her name?"

"Uh, Zarya Deighton. Pike Creek, Delaware." Sam answered.

"That's not entirely correct but that is her, yes. She was meant to be Lucifer's mate."

The brothers exchanged wide eyed looks. "And just what the fuck does that mean, Cas?" The elder questioned.

"That girl was born to a very powerful bloodline just as you two were," Cas began. "But not the Deightons. That doesn't make any sense. She was made strong enough to likely survive even the childbirth of the second born archangel. Everyone had assumed since he was locked in the Cage that she would never be born."

Dean was still reeling from the information; Sam pulled it together to press on. "If Zarya really is Lucifer's mate," he nearly cringed, "what does that mean for her? Could it hurt her physically?"

"It can cause pain to both of them, actually. The further she is from him once he's taken a vessel the more it'll weaken each of them. It'll just show more on her human body. Her body should have known the second Lucifer was released from the Cage."

"But Sammy's supposed to be the bastard's meatsuit," Dean interjected.

"That likely doesn't matter anymore. Once Lucifer was released he would have felt that he had a mate - especially with his vessel being someone close to his mate - and sought her out. She'll give him strength. She's the part of his Grace that was stripped in the Fall. He could essentially take whatever vessel he pleases so long as he has her."

Sam spun around, looking up at his brother. "You remember Zarya saying she threw up at work and thought it was sloppy joe?"

"Then the bruises and weakness?" Dean snatched up his keys and jacket. "Let's see if we can get her before he does."

The Impala raced down the road, hastily trying to get back to Zarya's quiet street. They parked outside her house and walked quickly to the door, rapping a few times. When she took too long to answer they drew their guns and circled around the house, looking into whatever windows were open. Dean caught sight of an upstairs window and called to his brother. "It hasn't been frost weather," Sam commented, looking up at the window.

"And why would it only be on one window?"

The two raced back around front and tried to turn the knob, finding it locked. With one kick Dean had it open and they cleared the bottom floor before moving up. The heat kicked on and passed through the vents but a chill still came from the room at the end of the hall. Quietly they crept down and went into the room, finding it empty. The light was still on and a towel discarded on the floor. Sam commented that he had seen the clothes Zarya was wearing on the bathroom floor and another towel still damp but hung on the door. They both stared at the frost ridden window.

"We just missed them," the elder brother concluded bitterly.

* * *

Zarya's eyes fluttered open and slowly focused. She realized she was in a bed somewhere unfamiliar. She recalled putting on the pajamas she wore in her bedroom after Nick surprising her but nothing after. Her hair was mostly dry aside from having been slept on. She curiously got out of bed and her bare feet wandered until she found her blonde best friend sitting up over a desk full of papers and books. Her eyes found a clock on the wall behind him and noticed it was almost 7:30am.

She stood in the doorway and smiled softly. "And yet I was the one diagnosed with insomnia," she teased lightly. He looked up at her and smirked before looking back down. "What's so important?" She stepped cautiously into the little office. "Is it...is it about Sarah's murder…?"

For a moment he paused, still staring down but no longer reading. He started shuffling his things about on the desk until a spot in front of him was cleared. He waved the ravenette over and swiftly placed her on the desk in front of him. Leaning back in his chair he noticed the way her eyes shined more green than blue. "The best way I can break this to you is bluntly." She gripped the edge of the desk a little tighter. "Your best friend, Nick here, is just a vessel for an angel."

Her eyebrows raised. "Y-you're an angel?"

He shrugged, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. "An archangel, really. My name is Lucifer."

For a solid minute she just stared at him. Then she rubbed her eyes before dragging her hands along her face. "I don't remember drinking before going to bed. That was usually Nick's thing."

He chuckled which made her look at him again. "I assure you you're still as sane as normal and completely sober."

"You called me 'Rya'," she shook her head. "Only Nick does that. Ever."

"I'm aware of that. When he said yes to being my vessel I got to poke around in his noggin. Figured you'd prefer to have this discussion not in a towel." He smirked.

Zarya's cheeks turned bright pink but she did her best to ignore the comment. "If you're really who you say are, then what of Nick…?"

"I'm never going to lie to you, Zarya. Dean Winchester shot a gun called the Colt in an attempt to kill me. All it did was kill the human soul inside." He could see her breaking slowly.

"So angels and demons are real?" She asked in a small voice, changing the subject as best as she could. He nodded, not taking his eyes off of her once. She debated what she wanted to say, tossing it around in her mind a few times. The chain of events was too convenient; maybe he knew what happened to her. "When Nick went missing, that was because of you?" Another simple nod. "Do you know why that would have caused me to get so sick no doctor could find anything wrong…?"

That made him sit forward. "What do you mean by 'sick'? When?"

She explained what happened the night Nick was supposed to pick her up from work and how it nearly drained the life out of her until she took a shower and found him in her bedroom. Something in his eyes let her know he had a good idea what it was and it wasn't something silly. Something in his eyes screamed 'oh fuck' but 'fuck yes'. She wasn't sure if she should feel better or run.

Lucifer knew immediately what it was; it was the final piece of the puzzle he needed. He wasn't quite sure why he found Nick so quickly or why he had been so drawn back to the man's hometown. Most of his thoughts had been concerns about the ravenette, begging to make sure she was okay. He couldn't deny that Nick had a point in saying he was drawn back for a reason so he might as well check on Zarya. That's all he intended on doing was seeing the girl and letting her down easy, but the moment he laid eyes on her and felt something out of the ordinary he knew he needed to know more. He certainly wasn't let down.

"You haven't slept well at all, Rya." He smirked when she didn't say anything but her eyes got wide. "Why don't you lay down for a little while longer before we get into those kinds of things?"

"You know!" She jumped down, just barely taller than him sitting. "I've been living each day in agony with everyone around me telling me I've lost it. They've slandered Nick's name! You think you can just-"

With two fingers tapped to her forehead Zarya fell forward into his arms. He pulled her up and carried her down the hall back to the bedroom. Carefully he slipped her back into bed with the blankets pulled up around her. He was about to turn and leave but the way her dark hair fanned around her on the pillows caught his eye. The sun started to poke through the curtains and hit her hair just right for the locks to give off an indigo tint to the dark hair. Walking up closer to her he could see some remnants of purple beneath her eyes, literally watching as it vanished and her pale skin returned to normal. Without thinking his hand reached out, fingers ghosting gently against her pale cheek.

* * *

When Zarya awoke again she was much less calm. In fact, she stomped her bare feet down the hall that time, throwing open the door to the office. She was severely let down to find it empty. She stormed three more rooms in the apartment before realizing she was alone. Curiously she checked the door and found it kept shut with strange engravings in the wood. She made a face and looked out the window, finding herself on at least the fifth floor. With a groan she flopped on the couch and stared at the ceiling. After a few tosses and turns she heaved herself back up and started going through the entire apartment. In the kitchen she smiled when she found ice cream sandwiches in the freezer.

"Yeah, if you're going to use my best friend's nickname for me you better also have my favorite snack," she grinned.

Grabbing a couple she made her way back to the office and looked through all the books on the shelves. Somewhere in a language of symbols she'd never seen before. She found what she could in English about angels and demons; two more ice cream sandwiches and three hours later she was spinning around in the desk chair on a break. Blowing some hair out of her face once the dizziness had settled she forced herself up and grabbed another small stack of books and scrolls. It had been another three hours before the door creaked open.

Lucifer eyed her curiously with his arms folded over his chest. "What are you doing at my desk?"

Zarya rubbed her tired eyes. "Murdering my eyes slowly. I was that bored." She shrugged. She looked up at him and they just stared for a moment before he vanished. She had to rub her eyes again. By time she was done there was a flutter of feathers and he was in front of the desk with a pair of glasses extended to her. She blinked a few times and hesitantly reached out to take them. The last place she recalled them being was in the drawer of her nightstand. "Thank you," she told him with a soft smile.

His eyes caught the books surrounding her and his lips twitched towards a smirk. "I see you've been doing some _light_ reading."

She grinned sheepishly, looking up at him. One of the books was the oldest looking bible she'd ever seen, greatly detailing Heaven and the angels and Lucifer's Fall. "I wasn't exactly religious before all of this so I figured I'd brush up. Is there actually any truth to any of this?" She tapped on the bible.

He seemed to relax, glancing down at the old book and back at her. "That one, yes. I stole it from Metatron's personal library some time muddled between the Fall and being locked in the Cage. It's just a matter of perspective."

"I ah, I actually get that." She shifted in the chair under his gaze. "I mean, what deity in their right mind would bow to humanity - creatures that have to be painfully taught to do so much as shower and use deodorant? Over and over in each scripture humans make sacrifices to deities because they're so unworthy and trying to appease someone of a higher power. Why is it such a different concept for angels? Why would any of you want to bow to beings who can't do a pinky's worth of what you can do when there's the almighty creator of literally everything who's got even more power than his angels? Shouldn't it be that way, looking up to the creature that has more power than you? It's why humans have pets like cats and dogs." She made a face. "Okay more so dogs because cats are assholes but I'm rambling like a fool." She grinned sheepishly again and rubbed the back of her neck, constantly flipping her legs around or playing with her bare feet.

He stared at her with disbelief for a solid minute. He certainly hadn't expected that to be her rant but he was caught from start to finish. While she talked he noticed all the little things that brought so much more truth to her words. The way she kept shifting in the desk chair, curling her toes around the others, twirling some of her hair or tapping her nails on the arm rest; the more she spoke the more pink her cheeks became like she was doing a presentation for a crowd. She was genuine, speaking directly from what she felt after just reading his old books. No wonder his vessel liked her so much. How strange that he never went for the girl; it might have made things a little easier for the archangel.

Nevertheless, Nick had held her in high regard. As soon as Lucifer stepped into the vessel he was bombarded with thoughts and memories of that particular ravenette. They had even gone to their senior prom together as friends. Did he truly think there was no chance he stood with Zarya? Even with Nick dead from the gunshot he was still overwhelmed on the daily with the strangest of feelings towards that one girl. And there she was, sitting in his chair, in fuzzy pants and a decently low cut grey long sleeve, agreeing with why he rebelled against all of Heaven. He wasn't sure if he should be irritated or pleased but the more he stared at those oddly green blue eyes twinkling back up at him the more he understood why he found Nick for his vessel first.

After what felt like forever to Zarya, Lucifer sighed. "Go get dressed."

She quirked a brow, head tilted to the side similar to when angels do it. "With what? My imagination? I still don't even know where this place is but it doesn't have my closet."

He had to resist an involuntary smirk at her sharp tongue. Calmly he walked around and leaned against the desk next to her, staring down at her playfully. "Go to the bedroom and get dressed, Rya."

She made a face that nearly made him chuckle before dramatically standing up. She thought she was saucy until she realized just how much shorter she still was. Rolling her eyes she made her way past him and grumbled out the door. He didn't miss the scent of cherry blossom in her hair and vanilla off her skin. Begrudgingly Zarya made her way back to the bedroom and her eye twitched when she saw her black suitcase on the bed. "You're an asshole!" She shouted down the hall before sifting through the clothes.

She had decided on a clean bra and pair of pair of panties beneath some black jeans when she heard Lucifer in the doorway. She pulled out a shirt and made a face, shoving it back into the bag. He chuckled watching her go through the clothes as he leaned against the doorframe. She paid him no mind just as she normally would with Nick. He watched her hips go up and down each time she shifted weight, her dark waves cascade over the bare skin of her back, and each time she got frustrated and tapped her fingers on her hips.

"Why not the red one?" He questioned boredly.

"Because my eyes are too disgustingly green and it makes me look like Christmas." He actually started to laugh at that and she whipped around, still only just in a black bra. "It's not funny! I've been barred from wearing the color red except in December. It's unfair. I always wished my eyes were more blue than this stupid green. I don't even know where it comes from - both my parents have fucking brown eyes." She spun back around to go through the rest of the clothes, hair going entirely over one shoulder.

Lucifer let out one last snicker when something on her shoulder caught his eye. Quietly and carefully he stepped forward to try and get a better look without disturbing her. "From what I understand," he spoke to keep her busy, "women aren't usually this calm around people when exposed."

She shrugged. "Nick and I have been friends for a long time and I've never been ashamed of my body, just how green my eyes are. I started to really hate myself in high school and was always the last to use the locker room so nobody would see me. Nick told me straight out I was being a little bitch because I was beautiful. After gym a couple days later I started to get ready with the rest of the girls and one of the mean girls ripped my towel right off of me in front of everyone. Stark naked in front of about twenty other girls."

"Yeah?" He snickered. "What'd you do - grab the towel and run?" Ah, there it was; it looked like a birthmark. Just a little closer…

Zarya smirked and held up an indigo blouse. "I marched up to her butt naked and broke her nose. Then I paraded myself around the locker room without a towel until I was ready."

 _An arrow…_ There it was, forever imprinted into the pale skin of her shoulder like a birthmark. Her birthright. It had been so long since he'd seen that arrow; were there more on the Earth like it still? He had clearly missed something and needed to know why the arrow appeared on Zarya. He had a good idea to test if it were true or not. The indigo fabric concealed the mark on her skin but he didn't move away from her. When she turned and he was so close she jumped.

All she could see every time she looked at him was Nick. It was strange, staring into the eyes of the devil and still seeing someone so genuine and caring staring back. She knew Nick had to have made the decision under the pretense that she would be safe. Nick wouldn't have left her unprotected, and who better than to protect her if it was Lucifer using his body? Maybe this was all some stress induced dream and she'd wake up to Nick trying to wake her for work or she'd be late for her shift…

" _Dean Winchester shot a gun called the Colt in an attempt to kill me. All it did was kill the human soul inside."_

Something in her tweaked but she refused to allow it to show. Regardless, Lucifer still knew. He heard the sentence echo vividly from her mind. He was getting to her already. He needed to know more; he had to be positive she was who he thought. What better way than combat? A smirk crept its way onto the archangel's face. "I recommend closing your eyes."

"What for?" Zarya questioned cautiously.

"People don't generally care for this part."

Her eyes widened as he moved to jab her forehead again and clamped shut just before they touched her. She felt an icy wind whip around her and vertigo hit her violently. He caught her when she fell forward, holding her protectively. When everything stopped moving he made sure she was steady on her feet. She blinked a few times, gathering herself and finding them in a woodsy clearing somewhere she didn't recognize. "What are we doing here?"

"Well sweetheart I can't exactly have you being a damsel in distress," he smirked and a silver blade slipped from his sleeve into his hand. "You've got to train." He flipped the blade in his hand, handing her the hilt with an engravement on it. She recognized the engravement from the scriptures she had read; it was Lucifer's sigil.

Zarya's hand reached out for the blade hesitantly. There was an unnatural chill in the air. All she could think about was Nick.

" _All it did was kill the human soul inside."_

Before her skin touched the cold blade she stopped. "What exactly am I supposed to do with this if I take it?"

Lucifer chuckled and moved his hand upwards, pressing the blade into the palm of her hand and wrapping his fingers around hers. She swore she felt electricity shock her. "Kill anything that comes at you without letting go of my angel blade." In the blink of an eye he was gone.

She stood in the middle of the field gaping, hand clutched tightly around the icy blade.

" _Dean Winchester shot a gun called the Colt."_

The wind picked up, almost chilling her to the bone. She spun around in various directions, finding a handful of men in dark suits surrounding her. Each one she looked at she watched their eyes turn entirely black.

" _It killed the human soul inside."_

Frost started to spread across the grass and trees. One of Zarya's irises turned bright green, the other bleeding to black. She lunged at the first demon ballsy enough to go at her. The ravenette danced and slashed with the blade, demon blood splattering across her pale skin and clean clothes. Across the field Lucifer stood, just watching. He was impressed with her agility and strength when she'd never really fought before. Not demons at least. He must have really gotten under her skin telling her about Dean and the Colt.

She was doing so well until one of the last demons who hadn't been killed or fled got angry enough that he got the upper hand. Zarya defended herself well until he sent her flying to the ground. Still, she never let go of the blade. The demon got on top of her, trying to smack the blade from her hand. She fought back, pushing against him. The silver tip touched his cheek, scolding it, and he realized her eyes. He realized who she was, giving her the upper hand back. She got a cut across his face before he vaporized into dust, Lucifer standing above her with pride.

Zarya stared up at him, blood still dripping all over her. Her indigo tinted hair was sprawled out on the grass similarly to how it was across her pillows. Lucifer watched her dual colored eyes fade back into her normal green blue. He watched her bottom lip tremble as she realized what she had done. He slowly bent down, slipping his arms beneath her shoulders and knees, and picking her up. The blade never slipped from her hand. He could hear the thoughts and memories of Nick plaguing her innermost sanctum. They were almost on a loop.

He pulled her close to his chest as he walked, a smirk creeping its way onto his lips as Zarya's mind screamed. Her eyelids grew heavy and closed slowly, Lucifer's voice echoing above each of her precious memories, reminding her ever so painfully.

" _Dean Winchester shot a gun called the Colt in an attempt to kill me. All it did was kill the human soul inside."_


	3. Devil Hanging Out the Back

**A/N:** _(will be the same across all three updates)_ Heyheyhey ya girl is back just as promised! I've actually been working pretty well on this so joke's on anyone who thought I gave up LOL

Not quite on the first day on spring but let's face it, if you live up north in the USA, it's not spring yet. Though I'm sure we've all heard the heart breaking news, spoiler if you haven't but we all need to know, Supernatural is ending after this fall's _fifteenth_ season. So my series won't be eternal since they wanna kill off my hopes and dreams -shrug- lmao jk for real though get the tissues. For those who care in the meantime, you've got this series! _Monster_ is kicking off with it's second half, _Dark Paradise,_ that will take care of seasons five and six of The Vampire Diaries. I will likely reference The Originals from time to time to peek in on Lethia; I have not yet decided if I'm doing a spin off.

 _Rise II: Devil in Me_ resumes with season 10 of Supernatural. A third installment (title TBD) will cover seasons 11 and 12.

And because I realized I hadn't done much with it yet I'm gonna try to shove some of the original _Rise_ in starting today with chapter three here.

Side note: there will be a new promo posted to my youtube shortly! Stay tuned for that and more updates!

Thank you to everyone who has been following and favoriting while waiting!  
Here's what you were waiting so patiently for.

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

03: Devil Hanging Out the Back.

"Whatcha got, Sammy?" Dean questioning, coming in with two beers.

Sam let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair, eyes still on his laptop screen. "Something definitely fishy. Cas was right when he thought something wasn't fully right about her name; I don't think she's a Deighton. I think she was adopted under the radar."

"What makes you think that?"

"It's too set up. The Rowells and the Deightons have been long time friends, but zero interaction. There's something linking the two families together that I can't find, just the same sigil on top of each document." He spun the computer to show his brother.

Dean sipped his beer while staring at the image. After a minute, his brows furrowed. "That's not a sigil, Sammy. It's a crest, like a family crest. Look at the way the 'V' swirls around and has scales like a dragon. Maybe that's what links the Rowells and Deightons - a third family?"

Sam's eyes widened and he started typing furiously on the laptop. "Yahtzee! The crest belongs to the old Vasile clan. A family that was rumored to be entirely wiped off the map some time ago."

"What else can you find about these Vasiles? Anything about having the strength to be able to have a friggen archangel's kid?"

"How about this instead - the coworker at the diner that filed the missing person's report on Zarya? She quit her job at the diner shortly after and now she's completely off the map too."

"You got some kind of name on her?"

"No, it was an anonymous report. But she was described as having short pink hair and freckles."

"Alright, I'll check out the diner. See if I can get a name and maybe some info. Find out if Zarya is linked to this Vasile clan and if that's why Lucifer wants her."

* * *

When Zarya stepped out of the shower she was thankful she always kept her towels over the curtain rail and wrapped herself before pulling back the curtain. She jumped just about out of her skin when she stepped out and Lucifer was in the bathroom with her, leaning against the closed door. She clutched the towel tightly around her, her hair dripping at her sides. "I could do without the heart attack you know. Or I might slip and fall."

He watched her carefully, taking in all the fine details and comparing them to Nick's thoughts. He had to admit that he had the advantage, being an archangel. From a human's perspective Nick held Zarya in a high enough regard Lucifer supposed, but being who he was Lucifer could see so much more. He could hear the light pounding of her heart against her chest, watch the pink creep slowly onto her pale cheeks. He could see the way her soul glowed brightly within her, radiating and resonating each time her heart beat. He offered her a hand out of the tub to make sure she wouldn't fall. Once she was safe and drying her hair in the mirror with a separate towel, he smirked. "I thought this was a common thing for you."

Her lips pressed together with embarrassment, forming an irritated little pout. "It's a little more intimidating when I'm fresh out of the shower. What if I hadn't already grabbed my towel, hm?"

"Lucky me I suppose then." Zarya's eyes widened, cheeks turning a darker pink. "Oh I'm sorry, are you not used to such things from Nick?"

She looked away from him, brushing her hair. "No, not really. People in high school always figured we'd end up together but we'd just laugh."

He nodded slowly, watching her deal with the knots and tangles in her reflection. "What do you know of pagan gods?"

She shrugged, tugging the brush through knots regardless of the pain she should have been feeling. "What should I know about them if they're below you?"

His lips twitched towards a rather proud smirk. While she focused on her hair his eyes ghosted her up and down. The towel had started slipping from where it was wrapped around her chest. After seeing her struggle with the brush for too long he snatched it out of her hand and started going through her thick hair. Another similar, genetic trait; the thick, easily knotted but ever beautiful hair. "We're going to go on a quick business trip," he spoke low as they stared at one another in the mirror. He braided her hair without looking away from the reflection of her eyes. "It's probably going to get messy."

"What do you need me for?"

"The safest place for you is at my side. Too far away and it'll make both of us sick."

"You know why that happens, don't you?"

The hair tie snapped around the end of the braid, locking the hair in place. Lucifer's arms went around her, hands flat on the sink, boxing her in close to him. He could feel the warmth coming off of her, a warmth that was just barely warmer than himself. Slowly his hands slid up her bare arms, bringing color back to her cheeks. They slid back down on top of her own hands; instinctively she curled her fingers around his. His head bent down, nuzzling the crook of her neck, and she leaned back into him.

She thought of Nick, and how their cuddles were strictly platonic. Lucifer might have had Nick's body, but they were not the same. Similar, sure, but still vastly different. If Nick had felt any sort of way about Zarya other than friends he never let it show. Lucifer was openly possessive towards her. Perhaps it was comforting to see Nick's face and know it was an archangel behind her. When she opened her eyes she swore she saw the shadow of wings coming from his back in the mirror.

* * *

Zarya's hand tapped the front desk's bell, a cheery smile on her face. The clerk who's tag read "Chad" came out and stared back at her with wide, fearful eyes. He tried to keep an extra couple of feet between them, clearly put off by something. "W-welcome to the Elysian Fields," he forced his voice calm. "Checking in?"

"Yes, I'm not entirely sure who's name is on the reservation though."

"Business or pleasure?"

"Well I'd love for it to be for pleasure but this time it's strictly business." Lucifer appeared behind the ravenette.

"Lucifer!" The clerk was suddenly relieved. "Thanks for coming."

"Oh, you did the right thing calling me," he purred, wrapping one arm around Zarya's waist. "I just happen to come with a package deal now. My lovely little Zarya."

His eyes flicked between the two, trying to focus on the situation. "It's just... The way the talk is heading in there, it's... it's insane!"

Zarya looked between the two, stopping on the archangel as he spoke. "You know, I never understood you pagans, always fighting, always happy to sell out your own kind. No wonder you forfeited this planet to us. You are worse than humans. You're worse than demons. And yet you claim to be Gods." With his free hand he twisted his wrist and snapped the clerk's (the pagan god Mercury) neck, letting him drop to the floor behind the desk. "And they call me prideful."

She sighed, letting out a half groan. "Was that really necessary?"

Lucifer's angel blade slipped from his sleeve and he handed it to her. "Yes. And be prepared for worse." He took her empty hand and pulled her down the hall. She let out a shriek as the god Ganesh made eye contact with them and stormed in their direction. She let out a louder squeal when Lucifer snapped his fingers and made Ganesh explode into chunks. "These so-called gods don't care. They will strike on impulse and you must as well. They are beneath us."

"They're beneath you, Lucifer."

He stopped for the quickest of seconds to look back at her, her voice saying his name resonating briefly. "They are beneath _us_." He reminded her before leading her away again.

She kept up with him, both of them skidding to a stop when Odin rounded a corner. That time Zarya ran out first, ramming the blade upwards and deep into the Nordic god's abdomen, using her shortness compared to him to her advantage. She ripped the blade back, blood splattering across her face. Lucifer could see her eyes fighting to change color. Another pagan god came for them and he mercilessly snapped its neck. He could see Zarya fighting against the urge to hunt and kill which made her anxious. He quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her into the ballroom.

"You think you own the planet?" Baldur shouted at him. Zarya immediately found the Winchesters and Lucifer's grip on her tightened. "What gives you the right?"

"Baldur," Kali urged cautiously, "don't."

"I'd take the lady's word for it if I were you," Zarya agreed airily. Something about her demeanor had become fearful but confident.

Baldur stormed forward towards Zarya first which made Lucifer extra mad. He dropped her hand, stepping in front of her, and effortlessly shoving his hand deep into Baldur's chest. "No one gives us the right. We take it." He ripped the god's heart from his chest, more blood splattering onto Zarya's face.

She flinched back, eyes doe wide, and hand clutched so tightly around the angel blade that her knuckles turned white. She heard Dean call to her but her eyes changed color as his calls warped in her mind.

" _Dean Winchester shot a gun called the Colt in an attempt to kill me. All it did was kill the human soul inside."_

Kali erupted in flames in pure rage. As she launched fire from her arms at Lucifer, Dean was running forward towards Zarya. He jumped up onto one of the tables, leaping off and making a grab at her. While Lucifer deflected Kali's flames, Dean grabbed the ravenette's hands. He started to pull her away from Lucifer's side when she yanked back, showing him the difference in her eyes. She gave Dean a shove away from her, still holding tight to the angel blade. "You're the reason Nick isn't just a vessel and he's dead now! Because you shot him point blank with the Colt when you weren't even sure if it'd kill the archangel inside or not!"

Dean saw Kali get launched across the ballroom and knew Lucifer would be coming for him next. He reacted quickly and shoved Zarya as hard as he could behind her towards Sam. The archangel turned to the elder Winchester with wrath as Sam held tight to Zarya. He held his hand out, taking the air right out of Dean's lungs, when suddenly he was launched back out the ballroom doors.

"Lucy," Gabriel smirked, his own angel blade in hand, "I'm home."

"No," Zarya breathed, eyes fighting to return to their normal color.

The younger archangel helped Kali to her feet and turned to the brothers. "Get the girls out of here. Now." He looked down at Zarya and smiled kindly.

"No," she spoke more defiantly, irises struggling to remain black and emerald. Her right hand that clutched Lucifer's angel blade started to twitch.

Lucifer started to laugh as he re-entered the ballroom. "You really don't want to do that, brother. I mean I knew you were slumming, but I hope you didn't catch anything."

Gabriel let out a small sigh. "Lucifer, you're my brother. And I love you. But you are a great big bag of dicks."

He cut his eyes at his little brother. "What did you just say to me?"

"Get them out of here, boys!" Gabriel shouted to the Winchesters. "Now!"

Kali ran out without a second thought but Sam couldn't get Zarya to move. She was frozen in place, clung to Lucifer's angel blade with a far away look on her face. "Don't you wonder why this vessel hasn't deteriorated yet, little brother?" He smirked. "Why I would even keep a human companion by my side at all times?"

Dean ran forward and scooped the girl right up into his arms since she didn't want to move. Gabriel gave them an opening to run past and out the door. Lucifer started to laugh. "Expect that I'll be coming back for her, Dean," he called after the green eyed Winchester. "Don't get too attached."

When they finally got Zarya to a motel not designed to be a trap, the brothers realized just how bad off she had become. They tried to pull the angel blade from her hands but she wouldn't budge in the slightest. She wouldn't speak, or move. Her eyes had returned to their normal hue, but they lacked any form of life. They were vacant, empty, hollow. Sam swore he could see the dark circles forming beneath her eyes already.

"Zarya…?" Sam tried gently, kneeling down to her level where she sat on the edge of a bed. "Zarya, can you hear me?"

" _Dean Winchester shot a gun called the Colt in an attempt to kill me. All it did was kill the human soul inside."_

A tear fell from her eye, cascading down her ghostly white cheek. "Nick…" She muttered.

 _Dean Winchester. The Colt. Killed the human soul inside. The human soul. Nick's human soul._

"Nick…" She sobbed a bit louder. Her breath came out as a gasp and she jumped to her feet, pointing the angel blade at Dean threateningly. "It's your fault he's dead," she snarled through grit teeth. "Nick could have still been alive in there if you hadn't shot him! I could have lived with that!"

Sam tried to calm her down quickly but Dean didn't even flinch. "Yeah I did," he admitted, staring her in her teary eyes. "Because I thought we had a chance at killing the devil. So I took it. It didn't work so we're going to keep trying until we do kill him and fix everything."

"Getting Nick back would have fixed my everything!" She screamed. "That's all I fucking wanted! Nothing else is broken! I'm perfectly fine when I'm with him. Always have been. And now that he's gone?" She ripped back one of her sleeves with her free hand, revealing bruises slowly forming against her pale skin. "With Nick gone I'm falling apart. There's just a hole in my heart where he's supposed to be. I can't live with that."

"You're not sick and bruising because you lost Nick, Zarya," Sam tried to get through to her. "You're part of a very powerful, very old bloodline. A bloodline tied to Lucifer deep in the roots. You… you were chosen to be bound to him."

She dropped the blade a bit and turned to face both brothers with confusion. "Wh-what?"

"We're still working on it," Dean answered. "But it looks like it was kept under wraps because if the knowledge gets into the wrong hands, then you'll be in a lot of danger. That's what he wouldn't tell you, right?" He took a step towards her. "That he knew why you had gotten sick. I'm sure there's a lot more he knows too."

"We can help you, Zarya," Sam assured her. "We just need to know where to look and what to look for. We can keep you safe."

" _The safest place for you is at my side. Too far away and it'll make both of us sick."_

Sam could see the struggle going on in her mind. He reached out and touched her arm gently, gaining her attention. "Why don't you go take a hot shower? Maybe it'll relax you. We'll run out and grab you some clothes so take your time, alright?"

Lifelessly, she nodded. She started to back away towards the bathroom, but still refused to give up the angel blade. They heard her lock the door behind her and the water start before heading out to the nearest store. Zarya set the blade down on the counter, her hand aching from being wound around it so tight for so long. She saw the blood splattered all over her in the mirror and her eyes flashed emerald and black for a split second. She pulled out the hair tie and unraveled her hair, letting it fall into blood caked waves before peeling off her blood stained clothes. She took a long shower as requested, staying in until even well after she heard the brothers return. By time she got out, the angel blade had vanished off of the countertop, leaving her paranoid and bewildered.


	4. Wake Me From This Dream

04: Wake Me From This Dream.

Zarya awoke with a start, finding herself on a small couch in the curve of a bow window. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, not recognizing where she was. She stood, her bare feet padding lightly against the cold, hardwood. Her fingers trailed down the dark walls until she came to the end of the hall where a door was slightly ajar. Gently pushing it open she smiled when she saw her best friend sitting at a desk working away on some papers. "Nick," she leaned against the doorway. "If you don't get some sleep eventually you'll drive yourself to exhaustion. I'm not dealing with your cranky ass because you're too stubborn to sleep." She laughed, a melodic sound that filled the small room. She didn't notice the way Nick's eyes glinted devilishly for a moment.

He laughed a little himself, brushing aside some papers into a messy pile. There was even a half drank bottle of whiskey on the desk keeping the papers held down. "Then how come I have to deal with your cranky ass for no reasons at all?"

She stepped into the office and grinned. "Because I'm adorable and you adore me."

He took a breath, that devilish something playing at his eyes again, and leaned back in the chair. "I suppose those are two very valid reasons. Come here, your hair is all over the place. You look like you should be nesting owls."

Zarya laughed again and hopped up onto the edge of the desk so Nick could sit behind her still. "Hang on, let me grab my brush."

Before she jumped down he stopped her and pulled one out from a desk drawer. "I've learned to adapt," he teased her and started brushing her hair.

She hummed contentedly with a smile as he brushed out her knots and braided her hair. "What are you working on this late anyways? Any new leads? I've got tomorrow off so we can hunt down some mother fuckers."

Behind her where she couldn't see, he started to smirk. "Actually, I am looking for someone in particular. You might be able to help me in the long run."

"Who is it?"

Something in Nick's eyes changed, the stress and exhaustion turning to something more domineering, more devilish and playful. His hand wound around the braid that was half finished and in one swift movement yanked her down, blowing all the paperwork and bottle off of the desk. Her hair exploded from the loose braid, fanning out beneath her on the desk. Her heart pounded loudly against her chest as he hovered above her, staring down at her possessively. Everything changed and she realized where she was and that it was no longer Nick with her. Nick wasn't with her anymore. Lucifer leaned close to her, his nose nearly touching hers. She could feel his cool breath against her lips. She shut her eyes, awaiting whatever could possibly come next, when she jolted upright in the motel bed.

Sweat poured down her forehead and neck, heart still pounding just about out of her chest. She blinked a few times and licked her dry lips before slowly turning to check on the brothers. Dean had passed out on top of the blankets, Sam at the table with his laptop. When she realized just how warm her inner thighs felt sleeping in a pair of shorts and a camisole her cheeks ignited a bright red. She scrambled out of the bed and to the bathroom with day clothes as quietly as she could, taking another shower. Bad enough she was stuck with the Winchesters and Lucifer's angel blade vanished, but she could live without the fanservice dreams. For fuck's sake it was still her best friend's body.

By time the brothers finally woke up in the morning, Zarya was already wide awake, dressed, and ready with coffee and breakfast from the donut shop around the corner. "Wasn't sure how you boys liked your coffee or food in the morning but being a waitress for a while I've got a pretty good feel; extra caffeine shots, four and four cream and sugar, a shot of Bailey's and whiskey for Dean, and a mocha swirl for Sam," she smiled as she handed each of them their coffees. "Turkey, egg, and cheese on a plain bagel for Sam," she tossed him a bag, "and two jelly donuts, a Boston cream, and eight slices of extra greasy bacon for Dean," she tossed him a bag.

Dean looked up at her with his jaw partially dropped after looking in the bag. "Are you a freakin' mind reader or something?"

"I gotta say," Sam commented, "that was impressive. How'd you know?"

Zarya sipped her own coffee and held up a third bag. "Six and six milk and sugar, hazelnut and mocha swirl, three shots of Bailey's. Boston cream donut, three slices of not too crunchy bacon, and a hashbrown." She shrugged. "I'm good about knowing people's tastes. When so many people question what you'd recommend but come in frequently enough to know what they like you've got to narrow down the selection."

"Alright then, next question," Sam teased as he sipped his coffee. "How long have you been up?"

She sat across from him at the little table, picking a chunk off bacon to pop in her mouth. "A while. I had a… weird dream that ended up keeping me up."

"You don't look so good," Dean commented with a mouthful of donut, some jelly still on his lip.

"You look pale," Sam clarified. "Are you alright, Zarya?"

She shrugged again, eyes slightly distant. "Just over exhaustion I guess. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Would you mind if I checked?" Another shrug and Sam stood, pressing the back of his hand against her forehead. "You feel a little clammy. Are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should lay back down."

"It's probably just from walking, it's kind of dewy outside." She reached up to feel her own forehead and brushed Sam's hand as he was taking his away.

"Whoa, your hands are like ice, Zarya!"

"Really? I can't feel it."

Dean shoved the rest of his donut in his mouth and brushed his hands off on his jeans before walking up to the ravenette and grabbing her hands. He immediately choked down the donut chunk and kept her hands tightly in his own. "You're fucking freezing, Zarya. And it doesn't even feel like my warm ass hands are doing anything for you."

The brothers exchanged wary glances before Sam spoke again. "Listen, Zarya, we think we might be able to help you by sending Lucifer back to the Cage."

She stiffened up. "That's where he's been kept all this time, wasn't it? His own personal Hell? I think I'd rather be killed."

"Well it's a lot harder to kill an archangel as you've come to realize," Dean quipped. "But with the four horsemen's rings we can open the pit and send him back. It only affects you being away from the son of a bitch if he's walking Earth. You can go back to your normal life if he's back in Hell."

"Normal life?" She scoffed. "How can I live any sort of a normal life knowing this kind of shit exists? Knowing that there's some deep, dark family secret that could get me killed? Knowing that I can't hold a relationship with a decent human being because I'm meant to be with the fucking archangel Lucifer? Knowing that he's trapped in Hell like some caged animal when he should at least have his dumb ass on the throne? What the fuck is normal about any of that? I certainly can't go back to Pike Creek or the diner."

"Speaking of which," Sam cut in in the hopes of changing the subject, "one of your coworkers was who reported you missing after Lucifer got you. We were hoping you could give us a name because now she's gone without a trace."

Zarya's eyes widened, crisis averted. "Do you know what she looked like…? What happened?"

"Short pink hair, blue eyes, freckles. She reported you missing anonymously before quitting her job at the diner and vanishing off the radar."

Her hand went to her mouth as she looked between the boys, realization coming into her eyes as she put pieces together. "Oh gods, I always knew something was up with that girl. She was cool as hell but something was off as fuck. Riel was her name. She never told anyone her last name so one night when I was closing I found it on her hiring paperwork - Riel Cressida. Is she witness protection or some shit? Does she know whatever truth about my life?"

"That's what we need to figure out," Dean told her. "We're gonna do some looking today. Why don't you stay here and try to rest? We'll figure this all out as it comes at us."

She sighed begrudgingly and nodded. "Yeah, alright. It was just one weird dream. I should be fine, right?"

* * *

Zarya awoke with a small gasp, finding herself laying on her side on something absolutely frigid. As her vision focused she realized she was laying on cement. Sitting up she found herself in an iron cage surrounded by darkness and fire. Her breath caught in her throat, nearly choking her, as she scrambled to her feet. "This isn't real," she panted, clutching the bars hopelessly.

"It was quite real for me for a very long time, Rya."

She let out a small whimper, throwing her back against the bars with nowhere else to go. Out of the darkness on the other side of the cage, Lucifer's eyes illuminated red-orange. He stepped out of the shadows with a smirk. "This is a dream. I fell asleep again."

"Do I look like Freddie Kruger to you, Rya?" He chuckled, slowly closing the space between them.

"Stop it," she whimpered, tears brimming in her eyes. "That's only Nick's name for me."

"Is it? Nick isn't with you anymore, _Rya_. It's just me now. It'll always be _just me._ " He grabbed the bars behind her, leaving only so much as his arm's length between them. "This is where the Winchesters want to put me again. Away from you. I can't protect you from here, Rya. I need you as much as you need me."

"The only thing I needed was Nick and he's dead," she sobbed.

Lucifer stepped closer to her and she closed her eyes. "Exactly why you need me. I can't bring Nick back for you, but I can fill the hole in your heart where he's supposed to be." Another step closer, his hands on the bars slipping down towards her waist. "Nick could have had you at any point in your lives and he was foolish enough not to because he was human. Too weak to be able to protect you, handle you. That's where he and I differ."

She was melting beneath him like a candy bar on an oven burner. She could feel him pressed against her, the cold bars of the cage on her back. She started to feel light headed when she grit her teeth and forced herself awake again, jolting upright in the bed. She was dripping in cold sweats that time and could feel the bruises forming on her inner and outer thighs. Hanging her head in her hands she started to cry a little.

"Please don't cry, Rya."

Her head snapped up and she jumped back three feet when she saw Nick sitting at the foot of the bed. She clutched her head and started to sob. "Now I'm really losing it."

"You'll certainly feel it if you don't stop fighting against me, Rya."

She leaped so far to the side that she nearly fell off the bed, Lucifer appearing at her side and Nick having vanished. She let out a small scream and ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She splashed cold water on her face, standing back up to see Nick in the reflection behind her. "Please stop doing this," she begged.

"It's okay, Rya," Nick smiled softly at her. "That's all I wanted in return for Lucifer using my body was no matter what came of me, he kept you safe. He gave me his word."

She turned slowly, leaning against the counter for support, and looked into the eyes of her best friend mournfully. "This isn't some trick…? You mean it…?"

"You can trust him, Rya. I promise. The Winchesters will turn on you eventually. Lucifer is bound to you, sworn to protect you. You're safer in his hands than mine, really."

Zarya closed her eyes and slid down to the floor, processing everything. She finally steadied her breathing when a flutter of feathers caught her attention. Just as her head started to lift, cold hands took hold of hers. She gasped lightly when she found Lucifer staring back at her. He gently brushed some of her hair out of her face, stroking her cheek as he did so. He started to lean closer when a second flutter of feathers stopped them both. He slipped a finger to his lips, just enough that it separated the two and kept them from touching. "You will make it back to me, Rya," he whispered against her lips. She blinked and he was gone.

* * *

"Zarya?" an unfamiliar voice called from the room. "Zarya, it is Castiel. Sam and Dean asked that I check on you."

The ravenette quickly scrambled to her feet and composed herself as though she hadn't just had another borderline steamy dream followed by being haunted by her best friend and the devil. She exited the bathroom and gave a weak smile to the angel in a trenchcoat. "Hey, Cas, sorry; I woke up not feeling too well."

He made a face at her. "You do not look well. Has Lucifer tried to find you?"

 _Yeah, we were probably about to make out on some motel's bathroom floor if you hadn't arrived when you did._

She crossed her arms and shrugged. "No, just a couple of really weird dreams that keep me awake," she half lied.

"Dreams of Lucifer?"

She made a face that time and laughed a little. "No offense Cas, but these aren't exactly dreams I'd discuss with the boys let alone you."

"They were sexual dreams, then?"

She sweatdropped, lips twitching. "Please stop talking, Cas. It'll be easier on both of us."

"I apologize, but it is crucial if you've been seeing Lucifer in your dreams. It means he's in your head, that he has access to your innermost thoughts and desires. It's like a personalized GPS for him that leans your mind in his favor."

 _Really? I hadn't realized first hand. Please don't make me go back to sleep, I really don't think I can take the fanservice anymore._

"The sleep you've been attempting clearly hasn't worked for you because of these dreams," Cas continued. "I can put a temporary guard on your mind so you can have a few hours of peace if you would like."

"Would I dream, like, at all?"

"You shouldn't, no."

She shrugged. "Alright, I guess that doesn't sound awful."

Zarya laid on the bed again and closed her eyes. Castiel stood over her, sensing Lucifer's influence all over her. They were running out of time. He pressed two fingers to her forehead, sending her into a sweet, dreamless bliss before calling Dean. "She's worse off than you thought. Lucifer already has his hooks in her but I can't tell how deep."

"She hasn't been able to sleep because he's in her head, right?"

"Precisely. I put up a temporary guard on her mind that should ward Lucifer off for a few hours but it's only a matter of time before he breaks through. She's deteriorating fast, Dean. You need to get those last two rings and put Lucifer back in the Cage before something happens to Zarya."

"What exactly could happen to her?" Sam chimed in. "Could not being with Lucifer actually really hurt her? Or… or kill her?"

"If she were a normal human, sure. She wouldn't have been able to handle the pain by now. But she is covered in large bruises and doesn't even flinch. She's stronger than an average human, something is different."

"I take it it has to do with her being built to be able to live through birthing an archangel's child?" Dean spat.

"It's more than that, but yes. I'll see what I can find in Heaven. Try to get back in the next few hours as the ward wears off."

* * *

As the door to the hotel room closed, Zarya's eyes fluttered open. "Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," came Dean's voice beside her.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, actually feeling the effects of having slept. "What did I miss?"

"Well we saw this at a witch's shop while we were out," Sam smiled, handing her a necklace. "It's fluorite - meant to protect the mind from tampering."

She slipped it over her head and immediately felt the difference. She looked between the two and smiled. "Thank you boys, I appreciate it."

Sam returned the smile. "It's nice not being the youngest who needs to be looked after all the time," he laughed a little.

"Kind of like the little sister we never got," Dean smirked, cracking open a beer.

"Even though you barely know me and I could derail at anytime?"

Sam took her hand with a smile. "Family doesn't end with blood, Zarya."


	5. The End is Almost Near

05: The End is Almost Near.

Bobby had agreed to take Zarya back to Sioux Falls so the boys could finish their case. It had been a mostly quiet ride there with the ravenette mulling over her thoughts as she watched miles pass out the window. "Bobby, can I ask you something?" She spoke at last without looking away from the window.

"Ask away, kiddo."

"What…" She bit her lip nervously. "What does it take to become a hunter?"

Bobby couldn't deny that he was definitely surprised at her question. "Takes guts, honestly. You learn a lot about the supernatural, how to kill the creepy crawlies that lurk around. But you've got to be able to kill the bastards. Why you askin'?"

Zarya let out a soft sigh. "I don't have anything left in this world. My life is a lie, my best friend is dead and currently Satan's vessel trying to persuade me. I have absolutely lost my job at the diner. I don't even think I could face anyone in Pike Creek again. Let alone anyone who's seen my face on a missing person's report. I have nothing to return to when this is all over."

He looked over at her briefly, finding dejection and loneliness in the girl's green-blue eyes. "You wanna be a hunter then."

"Do you think I'd have what it took? Honestly even if I died on a case, what would it matter? So long as it wasn't my fault someone else was dead."

"Well you ain't got what it takes if that's how you're gonna look at it, kid." She looked to him with big eyes. "Even if you're out there on a job alone you're still part of a team. There's hunters fighting to survive and get rid of these monsters all over God's green Earth. You die out there and someone else will find out why. It'll become their case. Your job is to survive and protect; protect those who need you and your own damn self."

When she remained quiet, Bobby continued. "If you wanna be a hunter then you'll have a new purpose. A new family. I'd like to think you're a good kid, Zarya. That given the right goals you can be something really good. I see the same in Sam and Dean." She smiled softly. "If you want in then as soon as we get to Sioux Falls you're hitting the books."

"I'll read anything you throw at me." She smiled with a hand clasped lightly around her pendant.

* * *

Zarya did exactly as she told Bobby she would. Cover to cover for the next 24 hours straight the ravenette read each lore book placed in front of her. When she started reading the English translated ones too quickly Bobby gave her a couple in Latin. She was mildly fluent in Latin, though it had been quite some time. After a few books she considered herself brushed up and fluently reading the language again. Mildly impressed with her progress, he gave her a book in Greek.

She cursed when she realized what it was but Bobby was kind enough to gift her with a cup of fresh coffee while she read. She bounced between a book translator and an online one until she had a decent grasp of the language. Some words she still had to check on, but she finished the book in impressive time. Zarya was starting to feel like she was preparing for final exams when she hadn't done any work all year.

"Alright, alright," Bobby chuckled a little. "Good job, kid. You're officially excused for a while. Go take a nap or something. Spare room's upstairs."

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Bobby. That Greek really murdered me!" She laughed a little and ventured upstairs to lay down.

"Son of a bitch," Zarya breathed when she realized where she was.

"You know," came Lucifer at the bow window, "you're starting to pick up some mannerisms of those Winchesters."

"How are you even in my dream right now? Cas had done something and then Sam and Dean gave me-"

"Yes, yes, a fluorite necklace. How pretty." He rolled his eyes. "Castiel's mental wall was temporary. The fluorite only works when it's around your neck, Rya."

She started to get heated but refused to take a step towards him. "It was around my neck when I fell asleep."

His lips twitched towards a devilish smirk. "Then perhaps you should stop moving so much in your sleep."

She grit her teeth and choked down the snarky rage that threatened to spill out. "What do you want?" She all but growled.

Lucifer leaned back against the window and groaned. "How badly does this have to be spelled out for you, Rya?"

"Stop calling me that."

"Why?" He stood suddenly. "Get under your skin?"

"I've told you; only Nick was allowed to call me that."

"Guess what sweetheart, I'm the closest thing to Nick you'll ever have again." With a flick of his wrist she was flung to him. He grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look at him. "Don't even think about becoming a hunter, Rya. You'll end up dead in the end."

"Why?" She mocked him. "Because you'll be the one to do it?"

He released her, shoving her harshly away from him suddenly. She just narrowly kept her balance without falling over. "The Winchesters will be your downfall. It'll be their fault you end up dead."

"I have nothing left," she admitted, her voice cracking. "Angels, demons, monsters, prophecies, I don't even know who I am anymore! What better place for me in the world then as a hunter?"

"Your place is at my side, Zarya." She straightened up a little when he used her full first name. "There is no better or safer place for you. The Winchesters will never see you as anything but a link to me."

" _What the hell is wrong with you?"_ Dean's voice just barely echoed through the room.

"What the hell?" Lucifer muttered.

" _...no, don't "Dean" me. I mean, you - you have had some stupid ideas in the past, But this - d-did you know about this?"_

"Dean," Zarya breathed, irises turning greener. Lucifer tried to grab her but she sidestepped him, defiance in her eyes. "The only way I'm going to end up dead as a hunter is if it's you who finally kills me. So between you and me, that's what's going to happen. I'm going to kick, and slash, and shoot, and survive until you come for me."

"What makes you so certain it'll be me to end your life?"

"I won't let anyone else do it."

* * *

"Hey, this ain't about me." Bobby held his hands up in defense.

Dean shook his head. "You can't do this."

"Do what?"

The three men looked over to the source of the soft voice, finding Zarya on the stairs. She looked withdrawn and like she hadn't slept even though she should have for the past four hours. Neither Sam nor Bobby wanted to answer her honestly, but Dean did. "Well they sure ain't gonna tell you," he tossed a small glare at them both. He stood at the bottom of the stairs looking just a few inches up at the ravenette. "Sammy's got this ingenious plan to cram the devil down his throat."

Her eyes widened with shaking fear and deep guilt. Her hand remained clutched tightly on the railing. "Sam, you can't. Please."

He sighed, barely able to look her in the eye. "That seems to be the consensus."

"Alright, awesome," came Dean, albeit half sarcastically. "Then, end of discussion." His phone started to ring. "This isn't over. Hello?"

"Dean?" came Castiel's voice on the other end.

"Cas? We all thought you were dead. Where the hell are you man?"

Zarya looked to Dean with bewilderment. "What happened to Cas?!"

Dean waved her off. Turned out Cas was in a hospital; he had woken up there when the doctors believed him to be brain dead. For the meantime he was stuck in the bed, his proverbial batteries being drained. The brothers were at a small loss, going after Pestilence for his ring momentarily.

"Why don't you take Zarya?" Bobby suggested.

"What?" Sam questioned first. He looked to the ravenette on the stairs still, suddenly flushed with embarrassment.

Bobby nodded, firm to what he said. "She's read up on more books cover to cover than Dean's seen in his entire life." The elder brother seemed to pout which nearly made Zarya giggle. "Including in Latin and Greek."

"Why would you do that, Zarya?" the hazel eyed brother asked her softly.

"I…" She started until she felt Dean's eyes directly on her. She looked to him, meeting his eye. She almost wished her eyes were as green instead of with such a blue undertone. "I don't know who I am anymore. I know technically in the eyes of my old life I'm gone in the wind. Just another missing person flyer. But anything I had before that is gone. The Deightons are dead, Nick is dead, all I've got left is the truth that the supernatural exists."

"So you want to be a hunter," Dean realized with the smallest hint of a smirk creeping its way onto his face.

She nodded bravely. "Yes I do."

"W-well, just knowing the lore won't always help you in the field," Sam stuttered. He was still fixated on the fact that she wanted to willingly become a hunter.

"I'll train her," Dean spoke quickly. All eyes turned on him suddenly. He opened his mouth to defend himself but closed it and looked to Zarya when no sound came out. His hand rubbed over his mouth and chin before he decided to direct his words to her specifically. "You come with us on cases, help us figure shit out. When it comes to actually being in the field, you stay by my side with a weapon. When we're not out on a job you've got to actually train. I don't know what's going on with those noodles you've got for arms," he teased, poking at her skinny arms, "but you gotta be strong enough to swing a machete and take off some vamp's head. You ready for that?"

Without hesitating she nodded. "I'm ready. Me and my noodle arms can handle it. Whatever you guys have to teach me I want to learn."

"Good. Then go fix yourself up quick; we'll stop and get you clothes on the way. We've got to go get Pestilence's ring."

He didn't miss the way she beamed before she darted back up the stairs. It was like life had been breathed into her. She came bounding back down the stairs with her shoes untied, furiously trying to brush her hair. Dean couldn't help but laugh at all of the knots and tangles in the girl's hair. Just as she came off the stairs he used his height to swipe the brush from her small hand and work through it himself. She stood there and let him brush her hair as her cheeks started to turn pink.

"See? Noodle arms can't even brush through your own hair, Zare."

Her eyes widened with surprise and she turned to face him, interrupting the brushing. "What did you call me?"

Dean arched a brow. "Zare? Nobody ever give you a nickname before?"

"Only Nick ever did," she admitted quietly, looking to the floor. "He called me 'Rya' which Lucifer has stolen for his own use." She looked back up at him with a small smile. "I like Zare. Thank you."

* * *

"Serenity Valley Convalescent Home?" Zarya's face wrinkled with disgust and confusion. They had just finished grabbing her a bag and wardrobe and explained what exactly it was they were off to do. She sat in the back of the Impala donning dark jeans, a grey camisole, purple flannel, black jacket, and combat boots. "What would a horseman want with elderly people?"

Dean snickered a little and glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "We'll get to that. Have you ever shot a gun before?"

She shrugged. "A couple of times. I prefer knives and brass knuckles."

"What for?" Sam questioned.

"Nick and I haven't lived in a lot of great towns. He wanted to keep his head low and just get by but that wasn't good enough for me. When I was young I was very prideful, territorial even. I didn't want people to think they could scare us off. I started to get good at archery, but then the Hunger Games got popular and I didn't exactly want to be compared to Katniss." She laughed a little.

"What about that silver blade you had back at Elysian Fields? You had one hell of a grip on it and then it was gone."

She looked out the window, her countenance contemplative. "I honestly don't know, Sam. Lucifer had given it to me but it was gone when I was out of the shower. What kind of sword is it?"

"It's an angel blade," Dean answered. "Every angel has one."

"Are each of them engraved?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, turning slightly to look at her.

"I was reading earlier that day and recognized his sigil engraved in the metal."

Sam shifted rather uncomfortably in his seat. "Cas mentioned once before that most angel blades aren't engraved and when they're not anyone can use them. But if it's been marked by the angel who owns it then only that angel's grace can touch it."

Zarya sweatdropped. "Wonderful. What a circus my life has become…"

"Well we've got to get a weapon you're comfortable with for right now," Dean told her. She realized they pulled into the parking lot of a gun shop. "Got anything in mind?"

She thought for a moment, considering the pistol she had bought in an alley once. She wondered if that was still under her bed or if they turned up her apartment yet. She had to be behind on rent if she even still had the place. Something came to her from nowhere, filling her vision. An arm in first person was extended, a revolver in the hand that was clearly a woman's but not a woman who had seen a manicure recently. There was a rose gold and amethyst bracelet on her pale wrist.

"I want to try a revolver," Zarya answered when she returned from her little vision.

Both brothers turned in their seats to look at her with bewilderment on their faces. She merely grinned back at them. The person behind the counter was just as confused as the Winchesters but they convinced him to give her a shot anyways. They all wanted to see what compelled Zarya to a freakin' revolver. She seemed to eye the older models, piquing their interest further. He decided to have her try a Ruger Blackhawk for shits and giggles. They didn't expect her to get more than a couple of shots even on the target at all.

"You sure about this, Zare?" Dean questioned with a face as she loaded the bullets into the gun. "You could try literally anything."

She looked up at him with a proud half smile and spun her chamber into place. "And I'm going to try this one. I like it already; it's smooth and sleek."

She turned and faced the paper target some yards away from her. Taking a breath, she held her arm out, careful not to lock her elbow. She could hear them whispering about her being a newbie and only using one hand. They thought she was being foolish. Zarya closed her eyes and felt everything around her disappear. Her thumb flicked the lever back, cocking the gun. She allowed only that sound to echo in her ears. Her index finger grazed delicately over the trigger, awaiting the order. At last her eyes opened, a little greener than usual, and she pulled back on the trigger. Without flinching she emptied the six bullets in a row. The three men stared with jaws dropped at the smoking, singular hole left in the wake on the paper.

When Zarya turned, ready with a prideful grin, she found herself practically smothered. Dean had just thrown his arms around her, eyes fixated on the still smoking target with a proud smile of his own. "That was- I don't know what else aside from fucking amazing." He released her and looked down at her, blatantly ignoring how rosy her cheeks had gotten. "Are you hustling us or something? Where did that come from?"

She looked at the gun in her hand still and shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I just felt like it was right, you know? I didn't let myself think about it; I just relaxed into the feeling. Like it was there waiting for me."

"Do you- do you think maybe one of your birth parents was a hunter?" Sam offered.

"That would make sense, I think. When I let myself be vulnerable to the feeling I had seen something - a woman's hand around a revolver. She had a rose gold and amethyst bracelet on."

Dean scoffed. "What makes you think she was a hunter then?"

"Her hands. They weren't exactly well cared for by a woman's general standard. Her nails weren't painted and chipped too."

* * *

After hearing Sam type away on his laptop for over an hour straight Zarya cracked a smile. "Sam, how is it your battery never dies and you have wifi everywhere? If my router was one inch out of place it wouldn't work."

He laughed a little. "I haven't needed wifi for what I've been doing." He pulled a small machine from his bag and put it on the dash. After a couple of minutes it printed out an ID with Zarya's picture on it. "You're going to need it on the job along with the dress clothes in the trunk."

"Ooh, FBI," she grinned, laughing when she saw the name. "Janis Jett? Alright, I can appreciate that. But how do other people believe it?"

"Just look at Dr. Evil's lair here," Dean pointed out. "Who'd think a horseman of the apocalypse would hide out here? It's like a four-color brochure for dying young. Of course, to Pestilence, it's probably Dollywood in there."

"A whole building full of people. We don't know who's human, who's demon, and who's pestilence." Sam pointed out. "So what do we do?"

"Hope we can get enough clue as to who it is before anyone might recognize us?" Zarya offered.

* * *

"Why the hell do I have to be the only one in a monkey suit?" The ravenette hissed as she walked through the front door with Dean.

He smirked a little, keeping his eyes ahead. "Because my nana needs to know her criminal son has called for her as some plea deal or something. I told you - you're not going in alone ever."

She rolled her eyes and sauntered up to the front desk. Her hair had been put in a little bun with a clip on the back of her head; she hadn't been thrilled moreso about the pencil skirt rather than the dress shirt and blazer. "Special Agent Jett," she told the charge nurse as confidently as Sam and Dean had when they showed up to her door as FBI agents. "We need to see one of your residents. This is her grandson whose father has recently been involved in a federal case. We need to speak to his mother."

The woman arched a quizzical brow at Zarya. "What's her name?"

She was about to stomp on Dean's foot for an answer when he finally spat something out. "Eunice Kennedy."

Zarya was about to lose all hope when the nurse decided to humor them and turn around to check records. Sam carefully snuck behind them unnoticed with a gun in hand. "You're ridiculous," she whisper yelled at Dean.

"That's the beauty of improv, Zare," he smiled down at her. "You never know what's gonna come out of your mouth. Get ready to have to do some more."

"What?!"

The nurse turned back around, looking at the duo skeptically. Around a shadowed corner Sam waited for them. "There is no Eunice Kennedy here. What's going on here?"

"Son of a bitch," Zarya muttered. She balled her fist quickly, reeling it back and hitting the woman as fast and hard as she possibly could. The nurse fell back onto the floor unconscious. "There's your stupid improv. Can we go now?"

They drew their guns and joined Sam in the hall. "What are we even looking for?" He questioned as their eyes darted down each hall and room.

"Well," Dean started, "he's Pestilence. So he probably looks sick."

"Everybody looks sick," Zarya sweatdropped.

The younger brother started to cough, spitting up blood. He looked at the other two warily. "Must be getting close."

Zarya stopped in her tracks as Sam started to have a coughing fit. She heard Dean cuss and looked over to find him falling back against a wall. She didn't feel anything; why didn't she feel anything? "Dean?" She tried to call to him as she helped him stay on his feet. Blood started to drip from his nose.

"The doctor will see you now," came a nurse at the end of the hall. Zarya looked up and the woman's eyes turned black.

A man walked out behind her, looking arrogantly down at the scene. "Sam. Dean. Hmm. You boys don't look well. It might be the, uh, Scarlet fever. Or, uh, the meningitis. Oh! Or the syphilis. That's no fun. However you feel right now? It's gonna get so very, very much worse. Questions?" His eyes flicked to Zarya. "I have one, actually; who might you be?"

Not able to hold Dean up any longer with one hand still around her revolver she helped him down onto the floor. Zarya rose back to her feet and looked him in the eye. "Zarya Deighton as far as I know."

"No, that does nothing for me. What are you then? Why are you not sick? Everybody gets sick."

"I used to be a waitress." She raised her hand with the gun. "But recently I've taken up hunting."

Pestilence looked at her very curiously. A revolver was very uncommon, as were her eyes that were neither green nor blue alone. He kept trying to give her some sort of deadly illness but nothing fazed her. She finally pulled the trigger; he flicked his wrist and knocked the gun from her hands, causing the bullet to just miss him. "You're a curious little thing, Zarya Deighton. I'd like to perform a few more tests."

She took a cautious and fearful step back. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline. I don't very much care for doctors, you know?"

"Get his ring, Zare," Dean choked out to her.

Her eyes flicked down to the large ring on his finger then to her gun across the way. She wasn't sure what to do, then she felt something cool brush down her forearm. Her eyes widened as the silver angel blade slid right into her hand out of nowhere. She started to shake and try her best to hide it. Where did the blade come from? Why did it return to her? Was it going to vanish again?

 _He knows,_ she realized with a violent fear.

A door flew open suddenly, revealing Castiel in the opening. He was holding onto the frame for support. "Cas!" She exclaimed with a hint of relief.

"How did you get here?" the horseman questioned with irritation.

"I took a bus," the angel started before he ended up falling over with a coughing fit of his own.

Pestilence started to laugh. "Well, look at that. An occupied vessel, but powerless. Oh, that's fascinating. There's not a speck of angel in you, is there?"

Zarya's pupils dilated, leaving a small but defined emerald line on the outside. Her hand grasped tightly around the angel blade, thumb feathering just over Lucifer's sigil. With his attention on Castiel, she darted down the hall with almost inhuman speed. Zarya caught him just enough off guard to slam his hand down on a supply cart and slice off his ring and pinky finger. His ring clattered to the linoleum floor as he bled, but he started to laugh.

"There it is, the very spark that makes you so special, Miss Deighton. Satan's whore. It's too late."

Her eyes widened with a wrathful embarrassment. Sam and Dean were slowly trying to get to their feet with Pestilence's influence released. "Fuck off," she spat before raising her lanky leg and knocking him hard enough in the head to make his vision go black.


	6. The Devil's in the Next Room

06: I Was Sent to Warn You, the Devil's in the Next Room.

Zarya's eyes opened quickly, looking up at the old white ceiling of Bobby's spare bedroom. Her cheeks were rosy, body electric. She was angry, quite frankly. Furious at the way Lucifer toyed with her mind using her best friend's face. She snatched up her necklace, angrily putting it back over her head, and got dressed. As she descended the stairs she tried to put the entire thing out of her mind. Her jaw set tightly when she saw the demon Crowley in the living room.

He eyed her up and down quizzically, noting what was clearly Lucifer's influence lingering about her. He couldn't figure out why though; she appeared to be such a plain girl. How obnoxious that one couldn't definitively say if her eyes were green or blue beneath her rat's nest of black hair. She walked right past him when Dean called her name.

"How'd you get all of this, Bobby?" she heard Dean firmly questioning when she entered the library.

"I had, you know… help."

Zarya arched a brow. "Does it include creepy suit guy out there?"

"Don't be so modest. I barely helped at all. Hello, boys. Pleasure, et cetera. I'll have you know, darling, I'm much worse than 'creepy'. Go ahead. Tell them. There's no shame in it."

"Tell us what?" asked Sam.

"World's gonna end," Bobby shrugged. "Seems stupid to get all precious over one little… soul."

Their eyes widened. Dean was the first to lash out. "You sold your damn soul?"

"More like pawned it," came Crowley. "I fully intend to give it back."

"Then give it back!" Zarya argued, piquing the demon's bit of interest.

"I will."

"Now, Crowley," the elder Winchester snapped.

"The important thing is that you know Death is in Chicago."

"Chicago?" The ravenette quipped. "I'd been there once with Nick for a business trip. There's this fantastic little pizza place and-" She shut her mouth when she found all eyes on her as she babbled about Chicago and pizza.

Crowley's eyes caught the blue stone dangling from the girl's neck. He almost laughed. "You imbeciles know that flagrant little rock won't keep her safe forever, right?" She protectively grabbed her fluorite in her hand and took a step away from him. "Bloody devil already has his hooks in her head."

"It helps," Sam defended. "So long as she chooses to wear it she feels confident in it."

* * *

"Say 'yes' to Lucifer, then jump in the hole," Cas repeated in the backseat of the Impala beside Zarya. "It's an interesting plan."

The ravenette had been staring out the window for some time. She didn't even flinch when Castiel randomly appeared beside her. Her eyes were seemingly vacant but she finally spoke, albeit if quietly. "What if he doesn't need a vessel anymore…?"

"Michael has retreated and gotten Adam Milligan to be his vessel, but Adam is still a Winchester," Cas explained. "I'm sorry, Zarya, but your friend is not strong enough to contain an archangel."

"That's the thing though, isn't it? Nick was my best friend. I started to physically and mentally fall apart when Lucifer took him. Shouldn't he have overstayed his welcome by now if some other factor didn't change it?"

"Zarya, are you okay?" Sam asked, turning slightly in his seat to look at her. His brother's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror.

"Killing must feel good to God too," she muttered, empty eyes still focused out the window. "He does it all the time. Do you think he feels good about that? Powerful?"

Castiel, not having a personal bubble, grabbed her by the chin with just enough force so she would look at him. He was unsettled deeply when he found her irises darkening and empty. "Zarya, what are you feeling right now?"

"Zare!" Dean snapped loudly when she didn't answer.

She blinked a couple of times, her irises lightening slightly. Cas repeated his question to her. Panic flashed through her face when she thought about the answer. "Not alone," she admitted, grabbing fistfuls of her dark hair. "Like someone is over my shoulder right fucking now. _Fuck!_ "

"Stay still," the angel told her before pressing his palm to her forehead. She tried to recede back into the seat but didn't have very far to go. "It's like Lucifer has a doorway right to her mind. All she would have to do is open it."

"So he's essentially just standing there knocking like a lunatic in her head?" Dean asked.

"Certainly what it's starting to feel like!" Zarya shouted back. Her head was throbbing. She almost wanted to bash it through the window.

"What do we do?" Sam wondered with a hint of panic in his own voice.

The ravenette let out a cry of pain. "Put me out for however long you need. Who knows what he might have already overheard. Just zap me into a nap coma or some shit. I'd rather deal with him in my nightmares if I have to."

"Are you positive, Zarya?" Cas confirmed with his hand raised. When she nodded he did as she asked. He vanished so she could peacefully lay across the backseat.

* * *

Zarya started to come to, realizing she was still in the back of the Impala. When her eyes opened they flashed a little bluer for a moment. She sat up slowly, her head still aching. When the ache and vertigo finally subsided she stepped out of the car for some fresh air. She had figured whatever Cas did to her would last until he woke her up. Her stomach growled and she stopped thinking about everything before as the scent of pizza hit her nose. She jumped into the passenger's seat quick to steal Sam's laptop and search the pizza place Nick had taken her to. She was thrilled to find it wasn't too far of a walk for her. There was a phone store across the street so she figured she'd get a phone to call one of the brothers with after.

She was thoroughly enjoying her pizza to herself, just getting past the halfway mark, when she was no longer sitting by herself. She didn't recognize the older man who slid into the booth across from her. Nervously she choked down the huge wad of food she already had in her mouth. "Uhm, hiya?" She offered a half smile awkwardly.

"Hello, Miss Deighton," he greeted her rather formally.

Her eyes finally caught sight of the large, white ring on one of his fingers. If she still had food in her mouth she probably would have choked on it. "You're Death, aren't you?" She breathed without thinking.

"As a matter of fact, I am. And you, child, have been marked for Lucifer."

She scoffed and looked away, crossing her arms. "So everyone keeps telling me."

"He tries to sway you, does he not? To cloud your judgement and stop fighting him. He's currently trying to do so, isn't he?"

"How do I stop it?" She practically pleaded. "I want to help the Winchesters, and whatever I might be able to save of my best friend but I just want to give up so fucking badly… I don't want it to be like this, to feel like this."

Death almost wanted to take pity on her, but he knew better. "Child, Lucifer has even _me_ on a leash of sorts currently. It is in your blood to fight; it has been for centuries. You are not alone in this world."

"You know who I really am, don't you…?"

"Of course I do, child; I'm Death. The Winchesters will have my ring and it is pertinent that Lucifer goes back to his Cage where he is meant to be. Whether you overcome his influence and help the Winchesters or not is entirely up to you."

"I just want-"

Zarya stopped suddenly, mouth still open but no words coming out. Her eyes went vacant entirely. Death tugged the pizza tray away from her just as she started to fall forward, her eyelids closing. Everything in her mind had started to shut down and go dark. She screamed and clawed but the door burst open regardless. Her head hit the table, onyx locks fanning out around her and hiding her face. Death's already unreadable expression grew cold and stiff. He could see the golden scarlet overlay around her spiking, growing stronger. When her head finally lifted Death knew for certain that it was no longer Zarya Deighton he was speaking to. Her eyes had become much too blue.

"You're a crafty old man, Death," Lucifer spoke through her with an arrogant smirk. "Makes it even more fun to watch the Winchesters fall."

* * *

She was screaming. The entire drive back, the night; how could none of them tell it wasn't Zarya in control anymore? No, she couldn't blame them for her weakness. She continued to scream and cry and plead but all it did was make Lucifer laugh. Angels needed consent to have a vessel. They didn't need consent if they were strong enough to overpower someone's mind through their own vessel. It was just made so much easier with the supposed bond to him she had. That would be Zarya's luck in life.

"You're looking better," Sam commented.

" _But I wouldn't be,"_ the real Zarya argued as she pounded against her own mental wall. She knew the boys were getting ready to head to Detroit with Sam about to be juiced up on demon blood. She couldn't let that happen with Lucifer riding shotgun in her head. She had to warn them. He knew. He knew everything.

"It's strange," Cas commented with his brows furrowed. "I see no traces of Lucifer's Grace over you anymore. It's just… gone."

" _Because he's right there!"_ She screamed. " _Everything is right in front of you!"_

Her lips pulled into a smile, the devious underlay gone almost entirely unnoticed except by one of them. Dean had been eyeing her oddly the entire time since they left Chicago. "Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Her voice spoke but only she knew it wasn't her own words.

Dean kept his eyes on her firmly. Something was off, he just couldn't pin it exactly. There was definitely something different in her eyes. "What ever happened to Lucifer's angel blade?" He asked suspiciously.

" _Come on Dean, I know you know something isn't right. Look my body in the eyes and figure it out!"_

'She' shrugged. "I'm not sure. It just vanished again."

Zarya cursed and screamed at Lucifer the entire drive. She tried to turn away when they started killing and bleeding demons for their blood. That was when he decided to step in and force her to watch. The only thing she could relate it to was maybe sleep paralysis; she could feel everything happening, the blood splattering across her face, but she wasn't in control. She could do nothing but hope Dean would see something.

* * *

Lucifer played the part of Zarya fairly well, being sure to remain close to Dean at all times no matter how much he loathed to. She heard Dean talking to Cas at one point, voicing his concerns about how well she was suddenly slaying demons. Lucifer could feel her getting hopeful and just about laughed when Castiel assured Dean she was free from Lucifer's influence around her. Zarya just about screamed.

"Could she be acting a bit more brash since Lucifer's influence is all over this city instead?" Sam suggested.

"It is a possibility," Cas shrugged.

" _But it's not,"_ the ravenette groaned in the depths of her mind. " _Please don't go through with this! He knows you're coming!"_

Normally Lucifer would yell at her to shut up, but he was getting far too much enjoyment out of the entire ordeal. It was so difficult for him not to laugh as they pulled up outside, verifying that it was the right apartment guarded by demons. "It's here," he used Zarya's voice with a hint of fear. "This… this is the place he had taken me."

"Stay behind me, alright, Zare?" Dean told her, still looking at her unusually blue irises skeptically. She drew her revolver and nodded. Dean didn't like the way she didn't show off by spinning her clip. They were walking into a trap; they had to be. Well, it was too late to turn around by then.

They made it upstairs, 'Zarya' behind both brothers protectively. As the demons led them to the right door 'she' slid her revolver back into her belt loop. A sick grin spread across 'her' face. The real Zarya belted out a fierce cry in the depths of her mind. As soon as he forced her foot through the threshold she fell forward into a sea of black. Dean immediately whipped around and caught her before she could hit the floor.

Lucifer sat in the bow window that had frosted over and laughed. "Relax, boys; I'd never hurt my sweetheart."

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Sam yelled, aiming his gun at the archangel.

With a snap of his fingers Zarya came too groggily. Dean helped her sit up properly and she panicked when she realized where they were. She leaped back up to her feet, jumping away from all of them fearfully. "The last thing I remember is having pizza with Death in Chicago," she started shakily.

"Shame; you don't remember all the screaming and crying you did the last 24 hours with me in the driver's seat?" Lucifer smirked at her. "It was pretty entertaining."

The brothers shoved her behind them protectively, their pistols aimed at Lucifer. "This ends now," Dean told him.

He rolled his eyes and drew a trident in the frosty window pane. "Zarya is a part of me just as I am her. It took a little extra poking than I thought; you're a very strong girl, Rya."

"Don't call me that," she hissed through grit teeth. She redrew her own gun and stepped between the Winchesters.

"Go ahead, _Rya_ ," he taunted her. "Shoot me. Shoot your best friend's body. See what it does for you. He's already dead and that bullet won't do much but tickle me."

Sam put out his hand on top of Zarya's and forced her to lower her revolver. "I'm here to say yes."

Lucifer almost laughed. "You think I don't know that, Sam? I've been in Zarya's head the last 24 hours. I fooled you two into believing it was her so how much information do you think I got? The Horsemen's rings? The magic keys to my Cage? Ring a bell? Come on, Sam. I've never lied to you. You could at least pay me the same respect. It's okay. I'm not mad. If anything, you should be." He scoffed a little. "All that demon blood? Such a waste." He shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Zarya's eyes widened with horror, locked on Lucifer. Her lips trembled. "He doesn't need you for a vessel anymore, Sam…" Nausea started to settle in her stomach.

"Why the hell not?" Both brothers shouted.

With a flick of his wrist Lucifer dragged Zarya on her heels to his side. Her revolver flew out of her hand. "Let go of me!" The ravenette fought against him futility.

"I've known for some time of your attempt at getting the horsemen's rings," he told them while he firmly held Zarya to him. "It was so much better watching it all come together from Rya's eyes." He smirked down at her frown and glare. "Thanks to my connection to her and this being her best friend's body, it will be strong enough for me to fight Michael and win. I'll oversee the land my Father abandoned with one of his precious creations for myself."

He held out his hand like he was going to blast Sam and Dean away. She slipped out from underneath him, holding her own small hands out in defense as she stood between them. "Please," she pleaded quickly, earning his attention. Sam and Dean slowly lowered their guns. "Please don't hurt them. Just let them go. I'll do anything."

Lucifer's hand returned slowly to his side. He looked down at the ravenette who stared up at him with big eyes that were filling with tears. "Why?" He questioned her, genuinely not understanding. "Why give yourself for these two idiots when, in a way, you've still got your best friend? They couldn't even tell when it wasn't you in your own body."

"Because right now," she stood tall as a couple of tears slid down her cheeks, "there is only one God, and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: _not today_."

The Winchesters remained still as much as they wanted to scream at Zarya for trying to make a deal with the devil. They honestly didn't figure he'd take her up on it. Joke was on them when he decided to humor her. With a snap of his fingers the brothers were gone, leaving only Lucifer and Zarya left in the room.

She turned away from him, staring at where the Winchesters had stood. She couldn't bear to look at him no matter how thankful she was. She held back a shiver when he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "I've been in your head, Rya," he told her quietly. There was a mirror on the opposite wall, allowing her to see both of them in the reflection. "I know everything you've ever seen or felt in your human life. I know that Nick was more than just your best friend, wasn't he? Your being in love with him is what made your friendship so 'best', wasn't it?"

"Shut up," she hissed, looking away from the reflection.

"Why? Because that's what you did?" His grip on her shoulders started to tighten. "Just shut your mouth and let him go on. You were even his wife's bridesmaid at their wedding. How you just wanted to ruin everything."

"I did not," she argued.

"You feel so out of place; you want to be a hunter," he continued on, tone seeming colder. "You know the Deightons aren't your blood; how could they be when both of them have brown eyes? The entire family has brown or hazel eyes. Not a shred of blue or green."

"Why would you say such a thing?" Her voice had dropped to a shaky whisper.

"Because we both know it is the truth. I'm an angel, Rya. God did this to you. I can give you justice."

Her eyes opened slowly, gaze fixated on the floor. She caught sight of her revolver immediately. Part of her wanted to give into what Lucifer was saying, but the other part kept staring at the gun. She thought of the Winchesters, and Dean's pride the way she shot the gun. The second his grip loosened even a hair on her shoulders Zarya darted down and snatched up the gun. She held it barely six inches away from his chest, trying desperately not to shake.

Lucifer started to laugh. "Come on, Rya. We both know you don't have the ability to shoot the body of your long time best friend that you've been in love with since you were barely twelve years old, especially when you know that it won't do anything to me inside."

One more singular tear slipped from her right eye silently. The gun started to slide out of her clammy hands until it crashed to the floor. The impact caused it to go off, shooting a hole in one of the walls. Her knees finally gave out and she fell onto them on the hardwood floor. Lucifer knelt down and touched her pale face delicately. She looked up at him with nothing but dejection left in her glossy eyes.

"You'll never make it in this world without me, Rya," he told her quietly as he rubbed a thumb over her cheek. "You will never feel complete. If Sam and Dean successfully put me back in the Cage it will not be permanent. I will keep coming for you just as you will find your way to me."

"Why?" She finally sobbed. "Why me?"

"Oh, sweetheart, it was always going to be you. It will always be you."

Her body froze over entirely when he leaned in and kissed her. She was surprised, somewhere in the fried remnants of her mind, at his gentle display of backhanded affection. Her eyelids started to feel heavy and finally closed. When her lashes brushed over her cheekbones she swore she felt feathers of wings around her.


	7. You're Gonna Lose Your Soul Out Here

07: You're Gonna Lose Your Soul Out Here.

"It's good to see you, Michael."

The older archangel possessing Adam gave Lucifer a strange look. "Your vessel is neither meant to be yours nor a Winchester. What sort of game is this, brother?"

He chuckled and stepped aside, revealing Zarya. She looked hopeless with nothing left to live for. Michael's eyes widened in horror when he saw the golden lilac glow around the girl. He knew exactly who and what she was right then. He wasn't sure if it'd be wise to kill her or Lucifer first; he couldn't decide. "She should not exist."

"Ah but she does brother," Lucifer taunted him. "And you know as well as I do what that means."

"Do you two really have to go through with this?" Zarya cried suddenly. "Can't you both just turn your backs on it all and look the other way?"

Lucifer put an arm around her shoulder. By then she wasn't even affected by the cold. "Part of me wishes I didn't have to do this, Rya."

Michael glared icily at them both. "You're a monster, Lucifer. She's an abomination. I'm a good son, and I have my orders; I have to kill you both."

Something dark and angry flashed across Zarya's face. "You're nothing but a daft, brainwashed soldier."

"You'll learn soon enough, little monster."

" _Gunter, glieben, glauchen, globen! All right! I got something to say! Hey it's better to burn out! Yeah! Than fade awa-a-a-y all right oh! Gonna start a fire!"_

Emerald light returned to the ravenette's eyes. She looked across the cemetery with hope gleaming brighter. "Def Leppard," she told herself quietly. She hadn't heard that song in years. Across the way she saw the Impala growing closer. Part of her wanted to chase them away, to keep them out of it and protect them if she could. But deep down she knew better. She knew they would always come back for her.

"Howdy, boys," Dean smirked as he got out of the driver's seat. "Hope we're not interrupting anything."

Pulling up behind the Impala and the Winchesters was Bobby's beaten red pick up with he and Cas inside. Zarya felt disbelief. Was Lucifer just screwing with her again?

"We're not letting you use Zarya as some middle collateral," Sam told the archangels. "She doesn't even know why she's such a big deal to you. You're not going to lay a finger on her."

"Nobody needs to know who and what she is," Michael spat at him. "It is a secret best kept by getting rid of it in total."

Cas stormed up a few feet with a glass bottle in hand. Zarya's brows raised when she realized it was a molotov. "Hey ass butt!" The angel shouted bravely at the oldest archangel. As soon as Cas had his attention, Michael was molotoved with holy oil and burnt to nothing.

"Ass butt?" Dean questioned, nearly making the ravenette across the way smile.

Cas shrugged. "He'll be back. And upset. We have to be quick."

Zarya could feel the wrath radiating off of Lucifer beside her. She looked up to him and nearly shrank back. With him fixated on Cas, she took a couple of steps back safely. "Did you just molotov my brother with holy fire?" He sneered down at the younger angel.

Castiel looked to Dean first before catching Zarya's eyes. They were wide like a deer's caught in headlights. She was concerned for him. There was still hope for her yet. "Uh, no," he opted for finally when he looked back to Lucifer.

Lucifer's eyes were cold in a sharp glare. "No one dicks with Michael but me."

"Cas!" Zarya screamed suddenly as the archangel left held up his fingers ready to snap.

As soon as he heard her shout for his technical baby brother Lucifer snapped his fingers. Castiel exploded in a bloody mess, some splashing across Zarya's pale cheeks. Slowly, Lucifer's heated attention turned back to the ravenette. "You think you've got a heart of gold in there, don't you?" His words dripped with venom. "A fiddle of gold against your soul says I'm better than you, _Rya_."

He took a step towards her and Dean drew his gun with his little brother in tow. "Don't even think of going near her."

Lucifer's back had been turned to the elder Winchester. He turned around slowly, first looking at Dean over his shoulder with a spiteful glare. "Trying to be brave and protecting her? It's not going to get you very far." He took a step towards the Winchesters instead. "She'll change her mind eventually; they usually do. As soon as they touch the darkness they can't get enough. It's like an addiction you just can't shake."

"So you do know more about her family than you've led on," Dean accused him against Sam's protests. "That's how you think you'll string her along? With promises you'll tell her about who she is and where she came from?"

The archangel chuckled and advanced towards the green eyed Winchester. Sam moved to take a shot but with a flick of Lucifer's wrist Sam was on the ground against a tree. "I can though." He knocked the gun out of Dean's hand and punched him hard in the nose, knocking him against the Impala. "A few things I have to check on," he grabbed Dean's throat, pinning him against his car and hitting him again, "but I can make sure she becomes all that she's meant to be."

"Dean!" Zarya cried, tears threatening to fall. She abandoned all her hope and ran forward at the archangel. "Lucifer, stop it!"

He whipped around, letting Dean go, and caught the ravenette by her throat. He lifted her just an inch off of her toes, narrowly constricting her airway. His back had been turned to the Winchesters and Bobby so Bobby lined up a shot with his gun. He wondered why Dean hadn't just taken a shot, even if it wouldn't do anything to Lucifer. Sam knew it was because Dean had killed Nick with the Colt instead of Lucifer and it was still Nick's body. He wouldn't let Zarya see him shoot her best friend whether Nick was in there or not. Bobby took the shot which caused Lucifer to drop Zarya back onto the grass, but it also prompted the archangel to turn around and snap Bobby's neck. Slowly, Sam sat up against the tree.

"Zarya, run!" Sam screamed as loud as he possibly could.

She was panting, anxiety freezing over her body. Everything around her was spinning, her mind not sure was real or not anymore. She snatched up Bobby's gun and cocked it, tears brimming in her seemingly greener eyes. "No, no more running."

"You've got nothing left in this filthy world except for me, Rya," Lucifer told her calmly, taking a step forward.

"I suppose it wouldn't matter if I died then." She surprised them all by pressing the barrel of the gun to her temple.

"You just said no more running!" Dean argued, trying to scramble up and towards her.

"I can't run anymore or deal with this bullshit if I'm dead, right? Nick is dead. I'm a missing person. The coworker who called in my being missing is missing. This isn't right."

Lucifer shrugged nonchalantly. "Go ahead, Rya, see if it helps you feel any better. See if your five minutes on the Other Side is worth it before I bring you back again and as many times as I see fit." His lips curled into a devilish smirk.

Something echoed through her mind, a memory of sorts that she didn't even remember making. Slowly the gun was lowered away from her head, hands shaking and tears streaking her pale face. The wind started to pick up, blowing her indigo tinted raven waves around. "It was you…" There was a crash, a flash of lights, a child screaming. "The car accident...there was a car accident…" She clutched her head in pain and let out a cry.

"Zarya!" The brothers called out to her. They ran at her but with a flick of his wrist Lucifer kept them at bay.

"I was wondering how long it'd take." The archangel took another step closer. "They must have used a pretty strong vampire to compel the memories away. I told you, Rya, you were adopted by the Deightons. I know where to look, I can find who you really are."

The scene changed before her eyes; she was in a car, strapped to a booster seat. Lights passed by her eyes through the windshield. A phone was handed to her from a pale, slender hand with long, silver nails. She could hear Nick's voice as a child through the phone. They would be home soon, she was spending the night with the Rowells. Zarya's head was throbbing; she nearly fell to her knees, gun still in her hand.

Someone was in the road. She saw it. She wasn't crazy. She screamed, the phone falling out of her small hands as the car squealed, turning too fast and going over the bridge they were on. She could still hear Nick screaming for her through the phone. The woman who handed her the phone from the passenger's seat tried to reach back and undo Zarya's seatbelt as fast as she could but they hit the water first. Zarya could finally make out her bright emerald eyes and dark hair swimming around her.

"We were all DOA," she panted, using a tall headstone for support. "They were about to tag my toe and ship me to the morgue."

The look of security and pride on Lucifer's face put off the brothers. "But you came to so they sent you to the hospital to be evaluated. No injuries or damage to internal organs, but they said you were in shock." He shrugged.

"There was an angel," her childhood voice echoed with her own. "A blue eyed angel…"

"Zarya, focus!" Sam yelled to her.

"He's just screwing with your head!" Dean added. "We'll figure it out!"

The archangel's hand rolled out to her temptingly. "I knew from the second you were born who you were and the greatness you were meant for, even from the Cage. I've waited long enough for you, Rya. I'll burn humanity in your name."

Tears dripped off of her chin and onto the grass that started to slowly frost over. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, eyes going vacant. She took a few steps toward his open hand as though she was being pulled toward it. Her free hand started to reach up towards his when the Winchesters broke free and grabbed her. Dean slapped the gun out of her hand and held her tightly to him. The vacancy vanished from her eyes and she cursed loudly, knowing it was Lucifer scratching around in her noggin.

"Stay out of my head!" She yelled at him. Dean was surprised that she wasn't fighting against him.

Lucifer chuckled. "There wouldn't be anything for me to poke around at if you hadn't let me in, Rya."

With Sam blocking Lucifer's view of them and Dean wrapped so tightly around her, Zarya reached into her shirt (Dean respectfully doing his best to look away) and took something out, slipping it into the elder brother's hands as Michael reappeared, blazing with wrath. With tears dripping down her face she nodded up at the olive eyed brother before stepping out of his arms. Being free enough before either brother could grab her again, Lucifer flicked his wrist and yanked her to him.

"You've got fingers as sticky as the rest of your ancestors," Lucifer smirked down at her.

"So you do know who I really am." She looked up defiantly at him.

As Michael reared closer he grabbed her by the chin and kissed her roughly, making both of their lips bleed. She could hear the brothers screaming bloody murder for her, but she didn't want to let go. She felt cold all over, but in an intoxicating way. Her eyes started to flutter shut when the ground opened wide, Dean yelling the Enochian chant to open the pit.

"It's not going to end this way!" Michael shouted. "Step back!"

"When you finally give up," Lucifer told her quickly and quietly so no one else could hear with a bloody smirk, "and you know I'm all you've got left, you'll be able to reach me and I will come for you. I will always come when you call because in the end, the only person you can count on, is me."

She desperately wanted to ask what the hell he was talking about, but he gave her a safe shove. She flew back a few feet away from the gaping hole growing in the ground and into Sam's arms safely. Her eyes locked with the blue eyed archangel as he gave her one last smirk before grabbing his brother's collar and pulling him closer to the opening of the pit. Lucifer winked and blew Zarya a kiss before letting the force of the pit drag him and Michael down into the darkness. The hole sucked itself closed, leaving only the horsemen's rings on the grass. Zarya slid out of Sam's arms and onto the ground. A tear slipped from her eye, a drop of blood dripping down her chin and crashing to the ground. As reality crashed down around her she started to sob.

Sam and Dean were both leaned against the Impala for support when she let out the most violent, pained wail they had ever heard. The sound resonated through the entire cemetery so badly it frightened every single bird away. Everything in Zarya's mind and heart started to crumble. Perhaps she'd just wake up, run next door and Nick and Sarah would be there and everything would be okay again. The shattered weight on her chest told her otherwise.

Someone dropped beside her and wrapped their arms around her tightly. When she allowed herself to see she realized it was Dean. She wasn't sure if it was just the overwhelming sense of change and loss that prompted her to, but she wrapped her small arms back around him and let out one more fierce sob. She briefly flashed back to feeling similar with Nick when the Rowells and Deightons passed away; when Sarah was murdered. When she pulled back she realized he had a black eye, cut lip, and bleeding nose. Out of habit she pulled her hand into her sleeve and tried to gently wipe the blood off his face.

"Cas," Sam breathed with surprise. "You're alive?"

The green eyed pair on the ground looked up and found the angel staring back down at them. "I'm better than that." He reached down, pressing two fingers to Dean's forehead and fixing all of his cuts and bruises.

"Cas," Dean started slowly as he helped Zarya to her feet, "are you God…?"

He almost smiled. "That's a nice compliment. But no. Although, I do believe he brought me back. New and improved." He knelt down to Bobby and pressed two fingers to his forehead as well. The older hunter jolted upright with confusion.

They were all quiet for a long minute before Sam spoke. "So...what now?"

"I'll return to Heaven, I suppose," Cas answered. "With Michael in the Cage, I'm sure it's total anarchy up there."

"So, what?" Zarya's lips twitched toward a smile. Sam was the first to notice the way his brother held her at his side. "You're like, the new sheriff in town?"

Cas actually gave her a small smile in return. "I like that. I suppose I am."

"Wow. God gives you a brand-new, shiny set of wings," Dean quipped with a hint of spite in his town, "and suddenly you're his bitch again."

"I don't know what God wants. I don't know if he'll even return. It just... seems like the right thing to do."

"Well, if you do see him, you tell him I'm coming for him next. He's got more than a few things to answer for."

Cas gave them all one final once over, taking just a second longer on Zarya before vanishing. The ravenette let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Begs the question though; now what?"

Dean grinned and ruffled up her already messy hair. "Now we turn you into a world class hunter."


End file.
